PUBLICATIONS  OF  THE   UNIVKRSITY  OF  PENN; 


Philology  Literal 

VOL 


Archeology 


A    PRIMER    OF 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHIC 


DANIEL  G.  BR1NTGN,  AM.  !   D. 


"  Hieroglyphics  old, 
Which  sa;:>      r,.)id  kt.;:i-eyt.'   .ist, 
Then  living  nn   the  earth,  -  ni:ig  *hou' 

Won  from  tlie  gaze  of  many  • 


GINN  &  COMPANY 

uiada,  and   i 


MAX  NI2MEYHR 

ror  the  Coiitihent  <jf  Rurop 


c^o^, 


PUBLICATIONS   OF  THE   UNIVERSITY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


SERIES  IN 


Philology  Literature  and  Archaeology 

VOL.  Ill     No.  2 


A    PRIMER    OF 

MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS 


DANIEL  G.^BRINTON,  A.M.,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Sc.D. 
•? 

PROFESSOR    OF    AMERICAN    ARCHEOLOGY    AND    LINGUISTICS    IN   THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    PENNSYLVANIA, 
PRESIDENT   OF   THE    AMERICAN    ASSOCIATION     FOR   THE    ADVANCE- 
MENT   OF    SCIENCE,    ETC.,     ETC. 


"  Hieroglyphics  old, 

Which  sages  and  keen-eyed  astrologers, 
Then  living  on  the  earth,  with  labouring  thought, 
Won  from  the  gaze  of  many  centuries." 

— KEATS 


GINN  &  COMPANY  MAX  NIEMEYER 

Agents  for  United  States,  Canada,  and  England          Agent  for  the  Continent  of  Europe 
7-13  Tremont  Place,  Boston,  U.S.A.  Halle,  a  S.,  Germany 


35 
•  63 


Bancroft  Library 


PREFACE. 


In  the  following  pages  I  have  endeavored  with  the  greatest 
brevity  to  supply  the  learner  with  the  elements  necessary  for  a 
study  of  the  native  hieroglyphic  writing  of  Central  America. 
The  material  is  already  so  ample  that  in  many  directions  I  have 
been  obliged  to  refer  to  it,  rather  than  to  summarize  it.  This 
will  explain  various  omissions  which  may  be  noted  by  ad- 
vanced scholars ;  but  they  will  not,  I  believe,  diminish  the  use- 
fulness of  the  work  as  an  elementary  treatise. 

In  conclusion  I  would  express  my  thanks  to  the  officers  of 
the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  Washington,  and  of  the  Pea- 
body  Museum  of  Archaeology,  Cambridge,  for  various  facilities 
they  have  obligingly  furnished  me. 


CONTENTS. 


/.   Introductory.  PAGE 

1.  GENERAL  CHARACTER  OF  MAYAN  HIEROGLYPHICS, 9 

2.  THE  MAYAN  MANUSCRIPTS  OR  "  CODICES," 1 1 

3.  THEORIES  OF  INTERPRETATION.    "  ALPHABETS  "  AND  "  KEYS,"    ....  13 

//.    The  Mathematical  Elements. 

1.  THE  CODICES  AS  TIME-COUNTS, 18 

2.  THE  MAYAN  NUMERAL  SYSTEM 19 

3.  NUMERICAL  AND  ALLIED  SIGNS 19 

4.  THE  RHETORICAL  AND  SYMBOLIC  USE  OF  NUMBERS, 24 

5.  THE  MAYAN  METHODS  OF  COUNTING  TIME, 25 

6.  THE  CALCULATIONS  IN  THE  CODICES, 29 

7.  RULES  FOR  TRACING  THE  TONALAMATL,  OR  RITUAL  CALENDAR,  ....  31 

8.  THE  CODICES  AS  ASTRONOMICAL  TREATISES,      32 

9.  ASTRONOMICAL  KNOWLEDGE  OF  THE  ANCIENT  MAYAS, 34 

///.    The  Pictorial  Elements. 

1.  THE  RELIGION  OF  THE  ANCIENT  MAYAS 37 

Itzamna — Cuculcan — Kin  ich— Other  Gods— The  Cardinal  Points — 
The  Good  Gods— The  Gods  of  Evil— The  Conflict  of  the  Gods. 

2.  THE  COSMOGONY  OF  THE  MAYAS, 46 

3.  THE  COSMICAL  CONCEPTIONS  OF  THE  MAYAS 47 

4.  PICTORIAL  REPRESENTATIONS  OF  DIVINITIES, 50 

Representations  of  Itzamna — Of  Cuculcan — Of  Kin  ich — Of  Xaman 
Ek,  the  Pole  Star— Of  the  Planet  Venus— Of  Ghanan,  God  of 
Growth— Of  the  Serpent  Goddess — Of  Xmucane — Of  Ah  puch, 
God  of  Death— Of  the  God  of  War— Of  Ek-Ahau  and  other 
Black  Gods. 

5.  THE  MAYA  PRIESTHOOD, 68 

6.  FANCIFUL  ANALOGIES, 69 

7.  TOTAL  NUMBER  OF  REPRESENTATIONS, 70 

8.  FIGURES  OF  QUADRUPEDS, 71 

9.  FIGURES  OF  BIRDS, 72 

10.  FIGURES  OF  REPTILES,    .        74 

11.  OCCUPATIONS  AND  CEREMONIES, 76 

V 


VI  CONTENTS. 

IV.    The  Graphic  Elements.  PAGE 

1.  THE  DIRKCTION  IN  WHICH  THE  GLYPHS  ARE  TO  BE  READ, 78 

2.  COMPOS;  11  Ci.vi'iis, 81 

3.  THE  PiOPE*  METHOD  OF  STUDYING  GLYPHS, 81 

i.  AN  ANALYSIS  OF  VAEIOUS  GRAPHIC  ELEMENTS, 82 

The  Hand— The  Eye  and  Similar  Figures— The  "  Spectacles"— The 
Ear — Crescentic  Signs— Sun  and  Moon  Signs— Supposed  Varia- 
tions of  the  Sun  Sign— The  Knife  Signs — The  "  Fish  and  Oys- 
ter" Sign— The  Sacred  Food  Offerings— The  Ben  ik  and  Other 
Signs— The  Drum  Signs — The  Yax  and  Other  Feather  Signs — 
The  Cross-hatched  Signs — Some  Linear  Signs  and  Dots — Linear 
Prefixes — The  "Cloud-balls"  and  the  "Corkscrew  Curl" — 
Signs  for  Union— The  "Tree  of  Life"— The  "Machete"  and 
Similar  Signs — Supposed  Bird  Signs— The  "Crotalean  Curve" — 
Objects  Held  in  the  Hand — The  Aspersorium,  the  Atlatl  and  the 
Mimosa — The  "  Constellation  Band  " — The  Signs  for  the  Cardinal 
Points — The  Directive  Signs — The  "  Cuceb." 

5.  THE  HIEROGLYPHS  OF  THE  DAYS, 109 

6.  THE  HIEROGLYPHS  OF  THE  MONTHS,.  116 

7.  THE  HIEROGLYPHS  OF  THE  DEITIES, 121 

V.  Specimens  of  Texts. 

1.  THE  GOD  OF  TIME  BRINGS  IN  THE  DEAD  YEAR.     DRESDEN  CODEX,    .    .    127 

2.  SACRIFICE  AT  THE  CLOSE  OF  A  YEAR.     DRESDEN  CODEX, 128 

3.  END  OF  ONE  AND  BEGINNING  OF  ANOTHER  TIME  PERIOD.    CORTESIAN 

CODEX, 129 

4^  THE  GOD  OF  GROWTH  AND  THE  GOD  OF  DEATH.     CORTESIAN  CODEX,    .  131 

5.  AUGURIES  FROM  THE  NORTH  STAR.    CORTESIAN  CODEX, 131 

6.  ITZAMNA,  THE  SERPENT  GODDESS,  AND  KIN  ICH.     DRESDEN  CODEX,    .    .  132 

7.  THE  GODS  OF  DEATH,  OF  THE  SUN,  AND  OF  WAR.     DRESDEN  CODEX,     .  132 

8.  CUCULCAN   MAKES  NEW  FIRE.     CODEX  TROANO, 133 

9.  THE  GODS  OF  DEATH,  OF  GROWTH,  AND  OF  THE  NORTH  STAR.  DRESDEN 

CODEX, 133 

10.  THE  GOD  OF  GROWTH,  OF  THE  SUN,  AND  OF  THE  EAST.  DRESDEN  CODEX,  134 

11.  AN  INSCRIPTION  FROM  KABAH 135 

12.  LINEAR  INSCRIPTION  FROM  YUCATAN, 136 

13.  THE  "  INITIAL  SERIES"  FROM  THE  TABLET  OF  THE  CROSS,  PALENQUE,    .  137 

14.  INSCRIPTION  ON  THE  "TAPIR  TABLET,"  CHIAPAS 138 

15.  INSCRIPTION  ON  A  TABLET  FROM  TONINA,  CHIAPAS,      139 

16.  INSCRIPTION  ON  AN  AMULET  FROM  OCOCINGO,  CHIAPAS, 139 

17.  INSCRIPTION  ON  A  VASE  FROM  A  QUICHE  TOMB,  GUATEMALA, 140 


A  PRIMER  OF 

MAYAN  HIEROGLYPHICS 


I.  Introductory. 

The  explorations  among  the  ruined  cities  of  Central  America 
undertaken  of  late  years  by  various  individuals  and  institutions 
in  the  United  States  and  Europe,  and  the  important  collections 
of  casts,  tracings  and  photographs  from  those  sites  now  on  view 
in  many  of  the  great  museums  of  the  world,  are  sure  to  stimu- 
late inquiry  into  the  meaning  of  the  hieroglyphs  which  constitute 
so  striking  a  feature  on  these  monuments. 

Within  the  last  decade  decided  advances  have  been  made 
toward  an  interpretation  of  this  curious  writing;  but  the  results 
of  such  studies  are  widely  scattered  and  not  readily  accessible 
to  American  students.  For  these  reasons  I  propose,  in  the 
present  essay,  to  sum  up  briefly  what  seem  to  me  to  be  the  most 
solid  gains  in  this  direction ;  and  to  add  from  my  own  studies 
additional  suggestions  toward  the  decipherment  of  these  unique 
records  of  aboriginal  American  civilization. 


i .  General  Character  of  Mayan  Hieroglyphs. 

One  and  the  same  hieroglyphic  system  is  found  on  remains 
from  Yucatan,  Tabasco,  Chiapas,  Guatemala,  and  Western  Hon- 
duras ;  in  other  words,  in  all  Central  American  regions  occupied 

9 


IO  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

at  the  Conquest  by  tribes  of  the  Mayan  linguistic  stock.1  It 
has  not  been  shown  to  prevail  among  the  Huastecan  branch  of 
that  stock,  which  occupied  the  valley  of  the  river  Panuco,  north 
of  Vera  Cruz;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  it  has  not  been  discov- 
ered among  the  remains  of  any  tribe  not  of  Mayan  affinities. 
The  Mexican  manuscripts  offer,  indeed,  a  valuable  ancillary 
study.  They  present  analogies  and  reveal  the  early  form  of 
many  conventionalized  figures;  but  to  take  them  as  interpreters 
of  Mayan  graphography,  as  many  have  done,  is  a  fatal  error  of 
method.  In  general  character  and  appearance  the  Mayan  is 
markedly  different  from  the  Mexican  writing,  presenting  a  much 
more  developed  style  and  method. 

Although  the  graphic  elements  preserved  in  the  manuscripts 
and  on  the  monuments  vary  considerably  among  themselves, 
these  divergencies  are  not  so  great  but  that  a  primitive  identity 
of  elements  is  demonstrable  in  them  all.  The  characters 
engraved  on  stone  or  wood,  or  painted  on  paper  or  pottery, 
differ  only  as  we  might  expect  from  the  variation  in  the  material 
or  the  period,  and  in  the  skill  or  fancy  of  the  artist. 

The  simple  elements  of  the  writing  are  not  exceedingly 
numerous.  There  seems  an  endless  variety  in  the  glyphs  or 
characters ;  but  this  is  because  they  are  composite  in  formation, 
made  up  of  a  number  of  radicals,  variously  arranged ;  as  with 
the  twenty-six  letters  of  our  alphabet  we  form  thousands  of  words 
of  diverse  significations.  If  we  positively  knew  the  meaning  or 
meanings  (for,  like  words,  they  often  have  several  different  mean- 
ings) of  a  hundred  or  so  of  these  simple  elements,  none  of  the 
inscriptions  could  conceal  any  longer  from  us  the  general  tenor 
of  its  contents.2 

1  In  accordance  with  usage  in  this  study,  I  employ  the  adjective  "  Mayan"  when 
speaking   of  the  whole  stock,  and  confine  "  Maya,"  in  an  adjectival  sense,  to  that 
branch  of  the  stock  resident  in  Yucatan. 

2  This  is  also  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Seler :     "  Es  ist  eine  verhaltnissmassig  geringe 
Zahl  von  Bildern  und  Grundelementen,  die  in  diesen  Schriftzeichen  wiederkehren." 
Verhand.  Berliner  Anthrop.  GeselL,  1887,8.  231. 


THE    MANUSCRIPTS.  I  I 

It  will  readily  be  understood  that  the  composite  characters 
may  be  indefinitely  numerous.  Mr.  Holden  found  that  in  all 
the  monuments  portrayed  in  Stephen's  Travels  in  Central  America 
there  are  about  fifteen  hundred; *  and  Mr.  Maudslay  has  informed 
me  that  according  to  his  estimate  there  are  in  the  Dresden 
Codex  about  seven  hundred. 

Each  separate  group  of  characters  is  called  a  "glyph,"  or,  by 
the  French  writers,  a  "  katun,"  the  latter  a  Maya  word  applied  to 
objects  arranged  in  rows,  as  soldiers,  letters,  years,  cycles,  etc. 
As  the  glyphs  often  have  rounded  outlines,  like  the  cross-section 
of  a  pebble,  the  Mayan  script  has  been  sometimes  called  "  calculi- 
form  writing  "  (Latin,  calculus,  a  pebble). 

2.   The  Mayan  Manuscripts  or  "Codices" 

The  hieroglyphic  writing  is  preserved  to  us  on  two  classes  of 
remains — painted  on  sheets  of  native  paper,  about  ten  inches 
wide  and  of  any  desired  length,  which  were  inscribed  on  both 
sides  and  folded  in  the  manner  of  a  screen  ;  and  engraved  or 
painted  on  stone,  wood,  pottery,  or  plaster.2 

Of  the  former  only  four  examples  remain,  none  of  them  per- 
fect. They  have  all  been  published  with  great  care,  some  of 
them  in  several  editions.  They  are  usually  spoken  of  as  "codi- 
ces "  under  the  following  names  :  the  Codex  Troanus  and  the 
Codex  Cortesianus,  probably  parts  of  the  same  book,  the  original 
of  which  is  at  Madrid ;  the  Codex  Peresianus,  which  is  in  Paris ; 
and  the  Codex  Dresdensis,  in  Dresden.  The  two  former  and  the 
two  latter  resemble  each  other  more  closely  than  they  do  either 
member  of  the  other  pair.  There  are  reasons  to  believe  that 
the  two  first  mentioned  were  written  in  central  Yucatan,  and  the 

1  "  Studies  in  Central  American   Picture  Writing,"     in    First  An.   Rep.  of  the 
Bureau  of  Ethnology,  p.  210. 

2  Among  those  who  have  especially  merited  the  thanks  of  archaeologists  in  collect- 
ing material  for  the  study  of  the  monuments  are   M.  Desire  Charnay,  Mr.  A.  P. 
Maudslay,  Prof.  F.  W.  Putnam ;  and  I  shall  hope  to  add  Dr.  Le  Plongeon,  when  he 
makes  public  his  material. 


12  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

last  two  in  or  near  Tabasco.1  This  district  and  that  of  Chiapas, 
adjacent  to  it  on  the  south,  was  occupied  at  the  time  of  the  Con- 
quest by  the  Tzental-Zotzil  branch  of  the  Mayan  stock,  who  spoke 
a  dialect  very  close  to  the  pure  Maya  of  Yucatan  ;  they  were  the 
descendants  of  the  builders  of  the  imposing  cities  of  Palenque, 
Ococingo,  Tonina  and  others,  and  we  know  that  their  culture, 
mythology,  and  ritual  were  almost  identical  with  those  of  the 
Mayas.  I  shall  treat  of  them,  therefore,  as  practically  one  people. 

Although  Lord  Kingsborough  had  included  the  Dresden 
Codex  in  his  huge  work  on  "  Mexican  Antiquities"  and  the 
Codex  Troanus  had  been  published  with  close  fidelity  by  the 
French  government  in  1869,  it  cannot  be  said  that  the  serious 
study  of  the  Mayan  hieroglyphs  dates  earlier  than  the  faithful 
edition  of  the  Dresden  Codex,  issued  in  1880  under  the  super- 
vision of  Dr.  E.  W.  Forstemann,  librarian-in-chief  of  the  Royal 
Library  of  Saxony. 

The  most  important  studies  of  the  codices  have  been  pub- 
lished in  Germany.  Besides  the  excellent  writings  of  Dr. 
Forstemann  himself,  those  by  Dr.  P.  Schellhas  and  Dr.  E. 
Seler,  of  Berlin,  are  of  great  utility  and  will  be  frequently 
referred  to  in  these  pages.  In  France,  Professor  Leon  de  Rosny, 
the  competent  editor  of  the  Codex  Peresianus,  the  Count  de 
Charencey,  and  M.  A.  Pousse,  whose  early  death  was  a  severe 
loss  to  this  branch  of  research,  deserve  especial  mention.  In 
England  no  one  has  paid  much  attention  to  it  but  Mr.  Alfred  P. 
Maudslay,  whose  investigations  have  yielded  valuable  results, 
forerunners  of  others  of  the  first  importance.  The  earlier 
speculations  of  Bollaert  are  wholly  fanciful.  In  our  own  coun- 
try, the  mathematical  portions  of  the  essays  of  Professor  Cyrus 

1  The  Peresianus  has  been  supposed  by  some  to  have  been  written  in  Guatemala ; 
by  others,  both  it  and  the  Dresdensis  have  been  considered  of  Tzental  origin.  See 
Pousse,  in  Arch,  de  la  Soc.  Amer.,  1885,  p.  126,  and  Paul  Perrin,  "  Les  Annotations 
Europeennes  du  Codex  Peresianus,"  in  the  same,  June,  1887,  p.  87  sqq.  Forstemann 
(Entzijf.  III.)  gives  several  cogent  reasons  for  believing  that  the  Dresdensis  was 
written  in  or  near  Palenque. 


REBUS    WRITING.  13 

Thomas  are  worthy  of  the  highest  praise ;  and  useful  sugges- 
tions can  be  found  in  Charles  Rau's  article  on  the  inscriptions  of 
Palenque,  and  in  Edward  S.  Holden's  paper  on  Central  American 
picture-writing.1 

3.   Theories  of  Interpretation. 

The  theories  which  have  been  advanced  as  to  the  method  of 
interpreting  the  Mayan  hieroglyphs  may  be  divided  into  those 
which  regard  them  as  ideographic,  as  phonetic,  or  as  mixed. 
The  German  writers,  Forstemann,  Schellhas,  and  Seler,  have 
maintained  that  they  are  mainly  or  wholly  ideographic ;  the 
French  school,  headed  by  the  Abbe  Brasseur,  de  Ros'ny,  and 
de  Charencey,  have  regarded  them  as  largely  phonetic,  in  which 
they  have  been  followed  in  the  United  States  by  Professor  Cyrus 
Thomas,  Dr.  Cresson/Dr.  Le  Plongeon,  and  others. 

The  intermediate  position,  which  I  have  defended,  is  that  while 
chiefly  ideographic,  they  are  occasionally  phonetic,  in  the  same 
manner  as  are  confessedly  the  Aztec  picture-writings.  In  these 
we  constantly  meet  with  delineations  of  objects  which  are  not 
to  be  understood  as  conveying  the  idea  of  the  object  itself,  but 
merely  as  representing  the  sound  of  its  name,  either  in  whole  or 
in  part;  just  as  in  our  familiar  "rebus  writing,"  or  in  the 
''chanting  arms  "  of  European  heraldry.  I  have  applied  to  this 
the  term  "  ikonomatic  writing,"  and  have  explained  it  so  fully,  as 


1  The  four  Codices  can  be  obtained  by  placing  an  order  with  one  of  the  leading 
importers  of  foreign  books  in  New  York  City.  The  four  cost  about  one  hundred 
dollars.  The  study  of  the  German  writers  is  indispensable.  The  contributions  of 
Dr.  Schellhas  and  Dr.  Seler  will  be  found  in  the  numbers  of  the  Berlin  Zeitschrift 
fur  Ethnologic,  1 886  and  later.  Dr.  Forstemann  has  likewise  published  in  the 
Zeitschrift,  1891,  and  also  in  the  Centralblatt  filr  Bibliothekivesen,  in  which  remote 
quarter  some  of  his  most  thoughtful  contributions  have  appeared ;  and  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings of  the- International  Congress  of  Americanists.  Four  of  his  articles  bear 
the  general  title,  "  Zur  Entzifferung  der  Mayahandschriften,"  I,  II,  III,  IV.  I  refer 
to  them  by  these  numbers.  The  articles  of  Professor  Thomas,  Professor  Rau,  and 
Mr.  Holden  are  contained  in  the  annual  reports  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  Wash- 
ington, where  they  can  be  readily  consulted  by  American  students. 


14  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

it  is  found  in  the  Mexican  manuscripts,  in  my  "  Essays  of  an 
Americanist"  that  I  need  not  enter  upon  it  further  in  this  con- 
nection, but  would  refer  the  reader  to  what  I  have  there  written.1 

The  attempt  to  frame  a  real  alphabet,  by  means  of  which  the 
hieroglyphs  could  be  read  phonetically,  has  been  made  by 
various  writers. 

The  first  is  that  preserved  in  the  work  of  Bishop  Landa.  It 
has  failed  to  be  of  much  use  to  modern  investigators,  but  it  has 
peculiar  value  as  evidence  of  two  facts;  first,  that  a  native  scribe 
was  able  to  give  a  written  character  for  an  unfamiliar  sound,  one 
without  meaning,  like  that  of  the  letters  of  the  Spanish  alphabet; 
and,  secondly,  that  the  characters  he  employed  for  this  purpose 
were  those  used  in  the  native  manuscripts.  This  is  proof  that 
some  sort  of  phonetic  writing  was  not  unknown.2 

This  alphabet  was  extended  by  the  Abbe  Brasseur,  and 
especially  by  de  Rosny,  who,  in  1883,  defined  twenty-nine 


1  The  essays  to  which  I  particularly  refer  are  :     "  The   Phonetic   Elements  in  the 
Graphic    Systems   of  the    Mayas   and    Mexicans;"    "The    Ikonomatic    Method   of 
Phonetic  Writing ;"  "  The  Writing  and  Records  of  the  Ancient  Mayas ;"  and  "  The 
Books  of  Chilan  Balam."     All  these  are  reprinted  in  my  Essays  of  an  Americanist, 
published    by    Porter    &    Coates,    Philadelphia,    1890.     As  to  how  far  this  or  any 
phonetic  system   is  consistent  with  the  known  differences  of  dialects  in  the  Mayan 
stock,  is  a  question  which  space  does  not  permit  me  to  enter  upon.     I  can  only  say 
that  the  signification  seems  to  me  to  have  been  fixed  in  the  Maya-Tzental  district, 
and  thence  carried  to  the  Chords,  Quiches,  etc. 

2  The  first  copy  of  Landa's  alphabet  published  in  the  United  States  was  by  myself 
in    the    American    Historical   Magazine,   1870.     Twenty  years   later,  1890,  in    my 
Essays  of  an  Americanist,  p.  242,  I  reproduced   a  photographic  fac-simile  of  it  from 
the  original  MS.     Though  not  without  considerable  value  in  certain  directions,  I   do 
not  think  it  worth  while  to  dwell  upon  it  here. 

Bishop  Landa's  important  work,  Relacion  de  las  Cosas  de-  Yucatan,  written  about 
1570,  must  be  carefully  read  by  every  student  on  this  branch.  It  has  been  twice 
published,  first  by  the  Abbe  Brasseur,  at  Paris,  1864,  and  more  fully  at  Madrid,  under 
the  competent  editorship  of  Juan  de  Dios  de  la  Rada  y  Delgado,  in  1884.  On  the 
relative  merits  of  the  two  editions,  see  my  "Critical  Remarks  on  the  Editions  of 
Diego  de  Landa's  Writings,"  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society,  1887. 


ALPHABETS    AND    KEYS. 


5 


letters,  with  numerous  variants  from  the   Codices  and  inscrip- 
tions.1 

Two  years  later,  Dr.  A.  Le  Plongeon  published  an  "  Ancient 
Maya  Hieratic  Alphabet  according  to  Mural  Inscriptions,"  con- 
taining twenty-three  letters,  with  variants.  This  he  applied  to 
the  translating  of  certain  inscriptions,  but  added  nothing  to  cor- 
roborate the  correctness  of  the  interpretations.  Each  sign,  he 
believed,  stood  for  a  definite  letter.2 


FIG.  i. — Landa's  Alphabet;  after  a  photograph  from  the  original  manuscript. 

Another  student  who  devoted  several  years  to  an  attempt  to 
reduce  the  hieroglyphs  to  an  alphabetic  form  was  the  late  Dr. 
Hilborne  T.  Cresson.  His  theory  was  that  the  glyphs  stood  for 
the  names  of  pictures  worn  down  to  a  single  phonetic  element, 

1  The  Abbe.Brasseur's  whimsical  speculations  are  in  his  introduction  to  the  Codex 
Troano,  published  by  the  French  government  in  1869.     The  chief  work  of  De  Rosny 
on    the    subject   is  his  Essai  sur   le  Dechiffrement   de    r Ecriture   Hieratique   de 
r  Amerique  Centrale,  folio,  Paris,  1876.     He  fully  recognizes,  however,  that  there  are 
also  ideographic  and  pictorial  characters  as  well  as  phonetic. 

2  Dr.  Le  Plongeon's  "  Alphabet"  was  published  in  the  Supplement  to  the  Scientific 
American,  New  York,  for  January,  1885. 


l6  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

alphabetic  or  syllabic.  This  element  he  conceived  was  conso- 
nantal, to  be  read  with  any  vowel,  either  prefixed  or  suffixed; 
and  the  consonant  was  permutable  with  any  of  its  class,  as -a 
lingual,  palatal,  etc.  On  this  basis  he  submitted,  shortly  before 
his  death  in  1894,  to  the  American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science  several  translations  from  the  Codex  Troano. 
Previous  to  this,  in  1892,  he  had  announced  his  method  in  the 
journal  "Science"  and  claimed  that  he  had  worked  it  out  ten 
years  before.1 

An  alphabet  of  twenty-seven  characters,  with  variants,  which 
the  author  considered  in  every  way  complete,  was  published  in 
1888,  by  F.  A.  de  la  Rochefoucauld.2  By  means  of  it  he  offered 
a  volume  of  interlinear  translations  from  the  inscriptions  and 
codices !  They  are  in  the  highest  degree  fanciful,  and  can  have 
little  interest  other  than  as  a  warning  against  the  intellectual 
aberrations  to  which  students  of  these  ancient  mysteries  seem 
peculiarly  prone. 

In  1892  Professor  Cyrus  Thomas,  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology, 
announced  with  considerable  emphasis  that  he  had  discovered 
the  "  key"  to  the  Mayan  hieroglyphs;  and  in  July,  1893,  pub- 
lished a  detailed  description  and  applications  of  it.3  In  theory, 
it  is  the  same  as  Dr.  Cresson's,  that  is,  that  the  elements  of  the 
glyphs  were  .employed  as  true  phonetic  elements,  or  letters.  In 
the  article  referred  to  he  gives  the  characters  for  the  following 
letters  of  the  Maya  alpRabet:  b,  c,  c\  dz,  ch,  h,  t,  k,  /,  m,  n, 
o,  p,  //,  /,  th,  tz,  x,  v,  z ;  also  for  a  large  number  of  syllabic 
sounds  which  he  claimed  to  have  recognized.  With  such  an 

1  At  the  time  of  his  unexpected  death,  Dr.  Cresson  had  left  with   me  a  full  exposi- 
tion of  his  theory.     His  enthusiasm  was  unbounded,  and  the  sacrifices  he  had  made 
in  the  pursuit  of  archaeological  science  merit  for  his  memory  a  kindly  recognition 
among  students  of  this  subject. 

2  Palenque  et  la  Civilisation  Maya  (Paris,  1 888).     The  "Alphabet  phonetique 
des  anciens  Mayas  "  is  on  pp.  10  sqq.     The  author  was  at  one  time  attached  to  the 
French  legation  in  Guatemala. 

3  In  the  American  Anthropologist,  Washington,  D.  C. 


ALPHABETS    AND    KEYS.  I/ 

apparatus,  if  it  had  any  value,  one  would  expect  to  reach  prompt 
and  important  re'sults ;  but,  aside  from  the  doubtful  character  of 
many  of  his  analyses,  the  fact  that  this  "  key  "  has  wholly  failed 
to  add  any  tangible,  valuable  addition  to  our  knowledge  of  the 
inscriptions  is  enough  to  show  its  uselessness  ;  and  the  same  may 
be  said  of  all  the  attempts  mentioned. 


A  slight  inspection  of  the  Maya  manuscripts  and  of  almost 
any  of  the  inscriptions  will  satisfy  the  observer  that  they  are 
made  up  of  three  classes  of  objects  or  elements  : — 

1.  Arithmetical  signs,  numerals,  and  numerical  computations. 

2.  Pictures  or  figures  of  men,  animals,  or  fantastic  beings,  of 
ceremonies  or  transactions,  and  of  objects  of  art  or  utility  ;  and, 

3.  Simple  or  composite  characters,  plainly  intended  for  graphic 
elements   according   to   some ,  system   for   the   preservation   of 
knowledge. 

I  shall  refer  to  these  as,  (i)  the  Mathematical  Elements,  (2)  the 
Pictorial  Elements,  and  (3)  the  Graphic  Elements  of  the  Mayan 
hieroglyphic  writing. 


1 8  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


II.  The  Mathematical  Elements. 

I.   The  Codices  as  Time- Counts. 

In  another  work  I  have  explained  the  numeral  system  in  vogue 
among  the  ancient  Mayas,  as  well  as  the  etymology  of  the  terms 
they  employed.1  It  will  be  sufficient,  therefore,  to  say  here  that 
their  system  was  vigesimal,  proceeding  by  multiples  of  twenty 
up  to  very  large  sums.  In  the  same  work  I  have  quoted  from 
original  sources  the  information  that  the  fives  up  to  fifteen  were 
represented  by  single  straight  lines  and  the  intermediate  numbers 
by  dots.  This  has  also  been  discovered  independently  by  several 
students  of  the  manuscripts. 

The  frequency  and  prominence  of  these  elementary  numerals  in 
nearly  every  relic  of  Mayan  writing,  whether  on  paper,  stone,  or 
pottery,  constitute  a  striking  feature  of  such  remains,  and  forcibly 
suggest  that  by  far  the  majority  of  them  have  one  and  the  same 
purpose,  that  is,  counting ;  and  when  we  find  with  almost  equal 
frequency  the  signs  for  days  and  months  associated  with  these 
numerals,  we  become  certain  that  in  these  records  we  have  before 
us  time-counts — some  sort  of  ephemerides  or  almanacs.  This  is 
true  of  all  the  Codices,  and  of  nine  out  of  ten  of  the  inscriptions. 
Here,  therefore,  is  a  first  and  most  important  step  gained  toward 
the  solution  of  the  puzzle  before  us. 

But  did  this  incessant  time-counting  refer  to  the  past  or  to 
the  future  ?  Was  it  history  or  was  it  prophecy  ?  Or,  passing 
beyond  this  world,  was  it  astronomy  ?  Was  it  mythology  or 
ritual,  the  epochs  and  the  eons  of  the  gods  ?  Perhaps  the  disposi- 
tion, sequence,  and  values  of  the  numbers  themselves,  once 
comprehended,  will  answer  these  vital  questions. 


1  See  my  Library  of  Aboriginal  American  Literature,  No.  I  :  The  Maya  Chronicles, 
Introduction,  pp.  37-50  (Philadelphia,  1882). 


ANCIENT    ARITHMETIC.  19 

2.   The  Mayan  Numeral  System. 

Unfortunately,  the  old  writers,  either  Spanish  or  native,  tell  us 
little  about  Maya  mathematics.  They  say  the  computation  ran 
thus:— 

20  units  =  one  kal,  20.      20 pic          =  one  calab,  160,000. 

20  kal     —..one  bafc,  400.  20  calab      —  one  kinchil  or  tzotzceh,  3,200,000. 

20  bak    =  one^z<r,  8000.  20  kinchil '  =  one  alau,  64,000,000. 

The  Tzental  system  was  the  same,  though  the  terms  differed 
somewhat:  20  units  =  one  tab  (cord  or  net-ful) ;  20  tabs  =  one 
bac  ;  20  bacs  =  one  bac-baquetic  (bundle  of  bacs);  20  bac-baquet- 
ics  =  one  mam  (grandfather) ;  20  mams  =  one  me c him  (grand- 
mother); 20  medium  =  one  mucul  mam  (great-grandfather), 
64,ooo,ooo.1 

No  doubt  in  the  numerical  notation  there  were  special  signs 
for  each  of  these  higher  unities ;  but  neither  Bishop  Landa  nor 
the  native  writers  who  composed  the  singular  "  Books  of  Chilan 
Balam  "  have  handed  them  down.  Modern  sagacity,  however, 
has  repaired  ancient  negligence,  and  we  can,  almost  to  a  certainty, 
restore  the  numerical  notation  of  the  aboriginal  arithmeticians. 

The  scholar  who  has  worked  most  successfully  in  this  field  is 
Dr.  Forstemann,  the  editor  of  the  Codex  of  Dresden,  and  I  shall 
introduce  a  condensed  statement  of  his  results,  referring  the 
student  to  his  own  writings  for  their  demonstration. 


3.  Numerical  and  Allied  Signs. 

The  first  important  discovery  of  Dr.  Forstemann  in  this  di- 
rection was  that  of  the  sign  for  the  naught  or  cipher,  o.  It  is 
given  in  Fig.  2.2  It  has  a  number  of  variants,  some  ornamental 
in  design.  Next,  he  discovered  the  system  of  notation  of  high 


1  Vincente  Pineda,  Gramatica  de la  Lengtta  Tzel-tal,  pp.  154,  sqq.  (Chiapas,  1887). 
Pineda  makes  the  multiplier  400  instead  of  20,  in  which  he  is  certainly  in  error. 

2  The  object  portrayed  is  evidently  a  shell,  probably  selected  as  a  rebus ;  but  the 
name  of  the  species  I  have  not  found.     The  ordinary  terms  are///y  and  xicin. 


i  X 

8,000)  = 

88,000 

8X 

400)  =' 

3,200 

7X 

20)  = 

140 

oX 

0  = 

0 

Total 

1,377,340 

20  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

numbers.  This  is  not  like  ours,  but  resembles  that  in  use  in  the 
arithmetic  of  ancient  Babylonia  and  some  parts  of  China.  The 
numerals  are  arranged  in  columns,  to  be  read  from  below  upward, 
the  value  of  each  unit  of  a  given  number  being  that  power  of  20 
which  corresponds  to  the  line  on  which  it  stands  counted  from 
the  bottom.  This  will  be  readily  understood  from  the  following 
example : — 

Maya  Simple  Composite 

numerals.        values.  values. 

»c  (i  =  2o4,  =  160,000  ;  hence,  8  X  160,000)  =  1,280,000 

II   (l   =  203,.=        8,000; 

8  ( I  =  202,  —         400  ; 
7  (i  =  20  ,  —  20  ; 

o  (i  =    i  ,  =  i  ; 

FIG.  2.— Maya  Notation. 

This  would  be  according  to  the  regular  system  of  the  Maya 
numeration  as  given  above  ;  but  in  applying  it  to  the  calcula- 
tions of  the  native  astronomer  who  wrote  the  Dresden  Manu- 
script, Dr.  Forstemann  discovered  a  notable  peculiarity  which 
may  extend  over  all  that  class  of  literature.  In  the  third  line  from 
the  bottom,  where  in  accordance  with  the  above  rule  the  unit  is 
valued  at  20  X  20  =  400,  its  actual  value  is  20  X  18  =  360. 

It  immediately  suggested  itself  to  him  that  in  time-counts  this 
irregular  value  was  assigned  in  order  that  the  series  might  be 
brought  into  relation  to  the  old  solar  year  of  360  days,  composed 
of  1 8  months  of  20  days  each,  in  the  native  calendar. 

This  correction  being  made,  the  above  table  would  read  : — 

8  (i  =  7200  X  20  =  144,000)  =  1,152,000 
ii  (i  =    360X20=       7200)=      79,200 
8  (i  =      20  X  18  =         360)  =         2,880 
7  (i  =      20)  140 

0(1-        i)  _o 

1,234,220 


NUMERICAL  SIGNS.  21 

An  examination  of  the  mural  inscriptions  showed  that  on 
them  also  the  same  plan  for  the  expression  of  high  numbers  had 
been  employed,  and  Dr. 

Forstemann     was     en-  *.  2.  3.  4-, 

abled  to  interpret  with 

accuracy  the  computa-          £J  /• — ~^$\  IT 

tions  on  the  monuments       \22jS^        (%  \^v)j  r~ 

from  Copan,  Ouirigua, 

FIG.  3.— Maya  Numerals. 

and    Palenque ;    devel- 

poing  incidentally  the  remarkable  fact  that  the  inscriptions  of 
Copan  contain  as  a  rule  higher  numbers  and  are  therefore  pre- 
sumably of  later  date  than  those  of  Palenque.  The  highest  is 
that  on  "  Stela  N,"  as  catalogued  by  Mr.  Maudslay,  which 
ascends  to  1,414,800  days,  or  3930  years  of  360  days.1 

The  next  step  was  the  identification  of  the  graphic  signs  for 
the  higher  unities,  20,  360,  and  7200, — corresponding  to  the 
native  kal.bak,  and  pic.  J^t  K(<^I  S-o  '  l^(,ft  £j«-*>  • 

That  generally  used  for  20  was  identified  by  several  students. 
It  is  shown  in  Fig.  3,  No.  3  ;  another  also  employed  under  cer- 
tain circumstances  for  20  is  shown  Fig.  3,  No.  2.  This  was  identi- 
fied independently,  first  by  Pousse,  later  by  Seler.2  No.  4  is 
perhaps  a  variant  of  it. 

The  signs  for  the  bak,  360,  and  the  pic,  7200,  are  not  so 
certainly  established,  but  Dr.  Forstemann  has  given  cogent 
reasons  for  recognizing  them  respectively  in  the  two  shown  Fig. 
4,  Nos.  6  and  7. 


1  Forstemann,  Entzifferting,  No.  IV,  and  Maudslay,   Biologia    Centrali-Ameri- 
cana,  Archeology,     Part  IV. 

2  According  to  Pousse  (Archives  de  la  Soc.  Amer.  de  France,  1887,  p.  165),  it  is 
used  to  designate  the  particular  day  which  falls  on  the  2Oth  of  the  month,  that  is,  the 
last  day  of  the  month,  and  has  therefore  the  sense  of  "  last,"  "  final,"  rather  than  of  20. 
It  is  written  as  an  affix  to  the  month  sign.     Thomas  states  that  it  is  used  with  month 
symbols  "  only  where  the  month  (of  20  days)  is  complete  or  follows  one  completed." 
Amer.  Anthropologist  >  Vol.  VI,  p.  246.     There  is  some  doubt  whether  No.  4  is  not 
an  element  of  union.     Compare  Seler,  Zeitschrift  fur  Ethnologie,  1887,  p.  57- 


22 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


Higher  signs  than  these  in  the  direct  numerical  scale  have  not 
yet  been  ascertained  ;  but  such  plausible  reasons  have  been 
advanced  by  Dr.  Forstemann  for  assigning  calendar  values  to 
certain  other  signs  that  they  should  be  added  in  this  description 
of  the  numerals. 

The  first  is  that  shown  in  Fig.  4,  No.  8.  It  represents  the 
katunic  cycle  of  52  years  of  365  days  each,  =  18,980  days:  '-The 
second  is  No.  9.  This  is  taken  to  be  the  sign  of  the  ahau  katun, 
24  years  of  365  days,  =  8760  day s?-''The  third  is  No.  10.  This 
corresponds  to  one-third  of  an  ahau  katun,  —  2920  days.  •  The 
fourth,  shown  No.  1 1,  is  an  old  cycle  of  20  years  of  360  days,  = 
7200.  No.  12  means  an  old  katunic  cycle  of  52  years  of  360 
^  =  18,720  days,  and  No.  13  an  old  year  of  360  days.1  ^ 


11  12 

FIG.  4. — Calendar  Signs. 


13 


There  are  also  a  series  of  other  signs  evidently  connected  with 
the  numerals,  the  precise  value  of  which  is  yet  undetermined. 
One  of  these  is  a  small  right  or  oblique  cross,  or  sometimes  two 

1  Dr.  Forstemann's  article,  "  Zur  Maya-Chronologie,"  assigning  the  reasons  for 
these  identifications,  appeared  in  the  Berlin  Zeitschrift  fur  Ethnologie,  1891. 


THE   COSMIC   SIGN.  23 

arcs  abutting  against  each  other,  connected  or  not.  It  is  usually 
by  the  side  of  a  single  dot  or  unit,  or  between  two  such.  In 
certain  places,  it  seems  to  be  a  multiplier  with  the  value  20;  in 
others,  it  would  indicate  a  change  or  alternation  in  the  series 
presented  of  days  or  years.  (See  Fig.  5,  Nos.  1-4.) 

Of  somewhat  similar  value  are  the  calendar  signs  C/2,  Fig.  4, 


3. 


, 


x      )C 


FIG.  5.  —  Numeral  Signs. 

Nos.  2,  3,  4,  like  an  6"  placed  lengthwise. 
This  is  also  understood  to  be  a  sign  of 
alternation  or  change  of  series  of  years  or 
cycles.  'H>O, 

Of  an  opposite  sense  is  the  sign  No. 
5,  the  spiral,  and  also  the  sign  No.  I,  both 
of  which  are  held  to  represent  union. 

This  list  exhausts  the  mathematical 
signs  so  far  as  they  have  been  ascertained 
with  probability.  Those  for  high  numbers 
brought  forward  by  Brasseur,1  have  no 
evidence  in  their  favor. 

Mr.  Maudslay  has  offered  reasons  for 
believing  that  the  character  in  Fig.  6,  a, 
"stands  for  the  numeral  20  in  a  certain 
class  of  mural  inscriptions.2  He  further 


ations. 


1  Etude  sur  le  Manuscrit  Troano,  p.  220. 

2  A.  P.  Maudslay  :  Biologia  Centrali- Americana  ;  Archeology ,  Part    II.     Text, 
pp.  40-42  (London,  1890).     The  character  b  closely  resembles  the  day-sign  c/nten. 
This  could  readily  be  chosen  to  express  ikonomatically  chun,  "  the  beginning,  the  first," 
and  my  studies  convince  me  that  it  repeatedly  must  be  so  understood.    To  this  I  shall 
recur  on  a  later  page.    XV^V-t/vML  • 

' 


24  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

points  out  that  the  character  b  is  not  unfrequently  united  with 
a,  and 'that  it  (b}  almost  alone  of  the  mural  glyphs  is  found 
with  a  double  set  of  numerals  attached  to  it  as  in  c.  One  or 
both  these  sets  of  numerals  are  at  times  replaced  by  the  sign  a, 
giving  the  composites  d,  e,  and/.  It  is  thus  evident  that  a  has 
some  numerical  or  calendar  meaning.  As  a  character  itself,  it 
is  the  "  cosmic  sign,"  conveying  the  idea  of  the  world  or  uni- 
verse as  a  whole,  as  is  seen  by  the  examples  to  which  Mr. 
Maudslay  refers,  from  various  Codices.  The  cross-hatching 
upon  it  means,  as  I  shall  show  later,  "  strong,  mighty,"  and  is 
merely  a  superlative.  It  may  very  well  mean  20,  as  that  is  the 
number  conveying  completeness  or  perfection  in  this  myth- 
ology.1 That  it  appears  on  what  Mr.  Maudslay  calls  the 
"  Initial  Series  "  of  glyphs  (which  I  consider  terminals),  is  ex- 
plained by  the  nature  of  the  computations  they  preserve. 
Another  combination,  belonging  most  likely  to  a  similar  class, 


is  the  following  I  >te8!§jr  where  the  "  cosmic  sign  "  is   united 


as  a  superfix  to  the  pax  and  the  flint.     It  has  usually  been  ex- 
plained as  a  "  phallic  emblem,"  and  by  Thomas  as  "  tortillas."2 

4.  The  Rhetorical  and  Symbolic  Use  of  Numbers. 
In  the  old  Maya  language  we  find  that  certain  numbers  were 
used  in  a  rhetorical  sense,  and  this  explains  their  appearance  in 
some  non-mathematical  portions  of  the  Codices  and  inscriptions. 
The  two  most  commonly  employed  were  9  and  13.  These  con- 
veyed the  ideas  of  indefinite  greatness,  of  superlative  excellence, 


1  Since  the  above  was  written,  Mr.  Stewart  Culm,  Director  of  the  museum  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  has  called  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  cross-hatching 
on  the  "cosmic  sign"  would,  in  Oriental,  especially  Chinese  symbolism,  convey  the 
idea  of  the  fundamental  dual  principles  of  existence, — male  and  female,  upper  and 
lower,  etc.    The  same  interpretation  may  quite  possibly  apply  in  the  Mayan  symbolism. 

2  See  my  Native  Calendar  of  Central  America,  pp.  49-59  (Philadelphia,  1893). 


SACRED    AND    SYMBOLIC    NUMBERS.  25 

of  infinity,  etc.  A  very  lucky  man  was  a  "  nine-souled  man  ;  " 
that  which  had  existed  forever  was  "  thirteen  generations  old," 
etc.  The  "  demon  with  thirteen  powers"  was  still  prominent  in 
Tzental  mythology  in  the  time  of  Nunez  de  la  Vega.  Other 
numerals  occasionally  employed  in  a  symbolic  sense  were  3, 
4,  and  7.1 

All  these  occur  in  the  Codices  as  prefixes  in  relations  where 
they  are  not  to  be  construed  in  their  arithmetical  values,  but  in 
those  assigned  them  by  the  usages  of  the  language  or  the  cus- 
toms of  religious  symbolism.  Thus,  "  twenty,"  owing  to  the 
vigesimal  method  of  numeration,  conveyed  the  associated  ideas 
of  completeness  and  perfection  ;  and  as  the  month  of  20  days 
was  divided  into  four  equal  parts  of  5  days  each,  by  which  mar- 
kets, etc.,  were  assigned,  these  numbers  also  stood  independently 
for  other  concepts  than  those  of  computation. 

5.   The  Mayan  Methods  of  Counting  Time. 

Having  ascertained  the  characters  for  the  numerals,  and  hav- 
ing learned  that  these  records  are  mainly  time-counts,  the  next 
question  which  arises  is  :  How  did  the  Mayas  count  time? 

About  this  we  have  considerable  information  from  the  works 
of  the  Spanish  writers,  Landa,  Aguilar,  Cogolludo,  Pio  Perez, 
etc.,  which  has  been  supplemented  by  the  researches  of  modern 
authors. 

The  Maya  system  was   a  complicated   one,  based   on  several 

1The  dictionaries  give:  "  bolon  pixan,  bien  adventurado ;"  bolon  dzacab\  and 
oxlahun  dzacab,  "  cosa  eterna."  Tbe  numeral  "  one,"  as  in  English,  had  a  superla- 
tive sense,  as  hun  miatz,  "  the  one  scholar,"  i.  e.,  the  most  distinguished.  Why  a 
symbolic  or  superlative  sense  was  attached  to  such  numbers  is  a  question  too  exten- 
sive to  discuss  here.  I  have  touched  upon  it  in  my  Native  Calendar  of  Central 
America,  pp,  8,  13,  and  in  an  article  on  "  The  Origin  of  Sacred  Numbers"  in  The 
American  Anthropologist,  April,  1894.  In  another  connection  we  find  maay,  odor 
from  something  burning;  "  bolonmayel,  qualquier  olor  suavissimo  y  transcendente  " — 
Dice.  Motul.  Dr.  Seler  has  suggested  that  the  number  13  may  refer  to  the  thirteen 
heavens ;  but  offers  no  evidence  that  the  Mayas  entertained  the  Nahuatl  myth  to 
which  this  refers. 
3 


26  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

originally  distinct  methods,  which  it  was  the  duty  and  the  aim 
of  the  astronomer-priests  to  bring  into  unison, — and  the  effort 
to  accomplish  this  will  chiefly  explain  their  elaborate  computa- 
tions. 

Undoubtedly  their  earliest  time-count  was  that  .common  to 
primitive  tribes  everywhere — a  measurement  of  the  solar  year 
by  lunations  or  "  moons."  The  exact  lunar  month  is  29  days, 
12  hours,  44  minutes,  3  seconds  ;  but  primitive  peoples  usually 
estimate  it  at  28  days,  and  allow  13  months  to  the  solar  year,  as 
do  yet  many  North  Asiatic  peoples,  and  as  probably  did  the 
early  Aryans  j1  or,  they  estimate  the  "  moon  "  at  30  days,  and 
allow  12  moons  to  the  year.  There  are  good  grounds  for  be- 
lieving that  the  Mayan  tribes  were  at  one  time  divided  in  custom 
about  this,  some  using  one,  some  the  other  method.  At  the 
time  of  the  Conquest  they  had  undoubtedly  reached  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  length  of  the  year  as  365  days ;  and  there  is 
considerable  probability  that  some  of  them  at  least  made  the 
correction  arranged  for  in  our  bissextile  or  leap  year.2 

This  is  all  familiar  enough  and  would  create  no  difficulty  in 
deciphering  these  aboriginal  almanacs  ;  but  a  disturbing  element 
enters.  The  real  time-count  by  which  they  adjusted  the  im- 
portant events  of  their  lives,  and  which  is  most  prominent  in 
their  records,  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  motions  of  the  sun,  or 

1  Schrader  :  Prehistoric  Antiquities  of  the- Aryan  Peoples,  pp.  307-9. 

2  To  enter  into  this  debated  question  at  length  would  not  be  possible  in  this  con- 
nection; but  I  would    merely  note:     (l)  The  positive  assertion  of  Landa  that  the 
Maya  year  "  invariably  "  began  July  1 6  (Cosas  de    Yucatan,^.  236),  could  not  be 
true  even  for  five  years,  unless  the  bissextile  correction  was  made,  which  he  asserts 
was  done  ;     (2)  the   example  of  a  Maya  year  given  by  Aguilar  {Informe   contra 
Idohtm  Cultores  del  Obispado  de  Yucatan,  Madrid,  1639),  is  actually  one  containing 
six  intercalary  days,  "  sets  dias  que  fueron  sus  cauiculares  ;  "  and  (3)  Father  Martin 
de  Leon,  in  his  "  Calendario  Mexicano"  pointedly  states  that  the  fourth  year  was  a 
bissextile  year  (Camino  del  Cielo,  fol.  100,  Mexico,  1611).     I  do  not  maintain  that 
this  knowledge  was  general,  but  that  it  had  been  acquired  by  the  astronomer-priests 
of  certain  localities.     The  investigations  of  Mrs.   Zelia  Nuttall  tend  to  demonstrate 
this  opinion. 


THE    RITUAL    YEAR.  2/ 

the  moon,  or  any  other  natural'  phenomenon.  It  was  based  on 
purely  mythical  relations  supposed  to  exist  between  man  and 
nature.  As  the  number  20  (fingers  and  toes)  completes  the 
man,  and  as  all  the  directions,  that  is,  potencies,  of  the  visible 
and  invisible  worlds  were  held  to  be  13,  these  two  numbers,  13 
and  20,  formed  the  basis  of  an  astrological  and  ritual  calendar, 
by  which  auspicious  and  inauspicious  days  were  assigned,  future 
events  foretold,  the  major  feasts  and  festivals  of  religious  wor- 
ship dictated,  and  the  like. 

This  singular  time-count  of  20  X  13  =  260  days  was  adopted 
with  slight  variations  by  every  semi-civilized  nation  of  Mexico 
and  Central  America,  and  even  the  names  of  the  20  days  are 
practically  of  the  same  meaning  in  all  these  languages.1  It 
constituted  the  to nalamatl  of  the  Nahuas,  the  "  Book  of  Days," 
used  in  divination. 

This  sacred  period  was  subdivided  into  four  equal  parts  of  65 
days  each,  each  of  which  was  assigned  to  the  rule  of  a  special 
planet  or  star,  and  to  a  particular  cardinal  point  with  attendant 
divinities ;  and  each  was  marked  with  a  color  of  its  own,  white, 
black,  red,  or  blue. 

Each  "  month  "  of  20  days  was  subdivided  into  four  periods  of 
five  days  each,  again  each  having  its  own  divinity,  assignment,  etc. 

But  the  importance  to  us  of  the  tonalamatl  is  that  its  compu- 
tations underlay  the  measurement  of  long  periods  of  time,  the 
less  and  greater  cycles.  These  were  estimated  by  the  methods 
of  the  sacred  year,  in  groups  of  13,  20,  24,  52,  104,  260  years, 
etc.  These  irregular  numbers  had  to  be  brought  into  unison 
with  the  lunar  and  solar  years,  with  the  vigesimal  system  of 
counting  by  20  and  its  multiples,  and  with  the  observed  motions 
of  the  planets,  who  were  divinities  controlling  the  ritual  divisions 
of  time. 

To  devise  a  mathematical  method  of  equalities  and  differences 

1  On  these  points  I  would  refer  the  reader  to  my  work,  The  Native  Calendar  of 
Central  America  and  .Mexico ;  A  Study  in  Linguistics  and  Symbolism  (Phila- 
delphia, 1893). 


28  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

by  which  these  conflicting  numbers  could  be  placed  in  har- 
monious relations,  subsumed  under  common  measures,  and  the 
ceremonies  and  forecasts  which  they  controlled  assigned  by 
uniform  laws — this  is  the  arithmetical  problem  which  fills  the 
pages  of  the  Mayan  Codices,  and  in  parts  or  at  length  is  spread 
over  the  surface  of  the  inscribed  monuments  and  painted  vases. 
We  need  not  search  for  the  facts  of  history,  the  names  of  mighty 
kings,  or  the  dates  of  conquests.  We  shall  not  find  them. 
Chronometry  we  shall  find,  but  not  chronicles  ;  astronomy  with 
astrological  aims ;  rituals,  but  no  records.  Pre-Columbian 
history  will  not  be  reconstructed  from  them.  This  will  be 
a  disappointment  to  many ;  but  it  is  the  conclusion  toward 
which  tend  all  the  soundest  investigations  of  recent  years. 

Let  us  recapitulate  the  numbers  which  the  Maya  mathemati- 
cian had  to  deal  with  and  adjust  under  some  scheme  of  uni- 
formity : — 

1.  The  "  week  "  of  13  days, '.    ...    13. 

2.  The  "month"  of  20  days, 20. 

3.  Its  division  into  four  parts  (called  tzuc),  each, 5. 

4.  The  complete  tonalamatl,  13X2°  days 260. 

5.  Its  divisions  into  four  parts,  each, 65. 

6.  The  solar  year,  counted  as  18  months  of  20  days  each,  .    .  360. 

7.  The  solar  year,  counted  as  12  months  of  30  days  each,  .    .  360. 

8.  The  solar  year,  counted  as  13  lunar  months  of  28  days 

each,  .    '. 364. 

9.  The  solar  year,  counted  as  28  weeks  of  13  days  each,    .    .  364. 

10.  The  true  solar  year,  days, 365. 

11.  The  bissextile  year  (?), 366. 

12.  The  apparent  revolution  of  Venus  (Noh-ek,  the  Great  Star), 

days 584. 

13.  The  apparent  revolution  of  Mercury  (?),  days 115. 

14.  The  apparent  revolution  of  Mars  (?),  days, 780. 

15.  The  kin  katun,  or  day-cycle  of  years, 13. 

1 6.  The  older  cycle  of  years, 20. 

17.  The  newer  cycle  of  years, 24. 

1 8.  The  katun  cycle  of  years, 52. 

19.  The  double  cycle  of  years, 104. 

20.  The  great  cycle  of  years 260. 


THE    NATIVE    CHRONOLOGY.  2Q 

6.   The  Calculations  in  the  Codices. 

The  Codices  contain  numerous  calculations  intended  to  bring 
these  various  quantities  into  definite  relations  as  aliquot  parts 
of  some  arithmetical  whole,  which  might  be  taken  as  a  general 
unit.  The  scribes  appear  to  have  begun  by  establishing  a  period 
of  14,040  days.  This  equals  39  years  of  360  days  each,  and 
also  54  years  of  260  days  each,  together,  of  course,  with  the 
divisors  of  these  numbers,  13,  18,  20,  65,  etc.  Then  followed  the 
determination  of  the  period  of  18,980  days,  --  73  tonalamatl,  = 
52  solar  years,  so  prominent  in  the  calendar  and  ritual  of  the 
Nahuas. 

This  number,  however,  could  not  be  adjusted  to  the  cycle  of 
the  ahau  katun,  which  was  24  years  of  365  days  each  ; *  nor  to 
the  ceremonially  prominent  revolution  of  "  the  Great  Star, "Venus, 
which  coincides  with  the  Earth's  revolutions  in  292odays,  or  eight 
solar  years.  To  bring  these  into  accord  with  the  tonalamatl 
required  a  period  of  104  solar  years,  or  37,960  days;  and  to 
adjust  under  one  number  the  katuns,  the  ahau  katnns,  the  revo- 
lutions of  Venus,  the  solar  year,  and  the  tonalamatl,  three  times 
that  number  of  days  are  required,  that  is,  113,880,  =  312  years. 

This  period  had  still  to  be  brought  into  relation  to  the  old 
year  of  360  days,  and  this  requires  the  estimation  of  a  term 
covering  1,366,560  days,  or  3744  years;  and  this  extended  era 
we  find  expressed  in  the  Dresden  Codex,  page  24,  in  the 
following  simple  notation,  the  interpretation  of  which  into  our 
system  of  calculation,  according  to  the  method  above  explained, 
I  add  to  the  right. 


1  Professor  Cyrus  Thomas,  in  his  carefully  written  article,  "  The  Maya  Year,"  in  the 
Bulletins  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  (Washington,  1894),  has  collected  evidence 
that  the  same  calendar  system,  based,  he  believes,  on  the  year  of  365  days,  was  used 
in  Palenque,  Menche  (Lorillard  City),  and  Tikal,  as  well  as  in  the  Cod.  Dresdensis. 
That  the  Mayas  had,  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest,  long  known  the  year  of  365  days, 
was  demonstrated  from  the  Codices  by  Dr.  Forstemann.  (See  his  Erlduterungen  zur 
Maya-Handschrift,  Dresden,  1886,  p.  21,  and  his  "  Die  Zeitperioden  der  Mayas,"  in 
Globus,  January,  1892). 


3O  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

This  long  period  allowed  all  their  important  time-  measures 
to  be  dealt  with  as  aliquot  parts  of  one  whole,  and  would  seem 
to  be  sufficient  for  the  purposes  they  had  in  view.  The  credit 
of  establishing  it  from  their  ancient  writings  is  exclusively  due 
to  Dr.  Forstemann,  whose  demonstrations  of  it  appear  to  be 
conclusive.1 


.9  (unit  =  144,000)  =  1,296,000 
9  (unit  =      7,200)  —       64,800 


1 6  (unit  =          360)  =          5,760 
20)  =  o 


Total,    "    1,366,560 

This  acute  observer  has,  however,  discovered  some  reasons 
to  suppose  that  the  native  priests  occasionally  contemplated  a 
much  more  extended  era;  some  of  their  calculations  seem  to 
require  an  era  which  embraced  12,299,040  days,  that  is,  33,696 
years ! 2 

No  doubt  each  of  these  periods  of  time  had  its  appropriate 
name  in  the  technical  language  of  the  Maya  astronomers,  and 
also  its  corresponding  sign  or  character  in  their  writing.  None 
of  them  has  been  recorded  by  the  Spanish  writers ;  but  from  the 
analogy  of  the  Nahuatl  script  and  language,  and  from  certain 
indications  in  the  Maya  writings,  we  may  surmise  that  some  of 
these  technical  terms  were  from  one  of  the  radicals  meaning  "to 
tie,  or  fasten  together,"  and  that  the  corresponding  signs  would 

*•  See  especially  his  articles,  Die  Zeitperioden  der  Mayas,  1892,  and  his  Zur  Enlzif- 
ferung  der  Maya- Handschrif ten,  IV,  1894. 

2  The  grounds  for  this  opinion  are  stated  in  his  Zur  Entzifferung,  etc.,  No.  II. 


POUSSE'S  RULES.  31 

either  directly,  that  is,  pictorially;  or  ikonomatically,  that  is,  by 
similarity  of  sound,  express  this  idea. 

Proceeding  on  the  first  of  these  suppositions,  Dr.  Forstemann 
has  suggested  that  the  character,  Fig.  4,  No.  8,  signifies  the 
period  of  52  years,  the  Nahuatl  xiuhmolpilli,  "  the  tying  together 
of  the  years,"  represented  in  the  Aztec  pictographs  by  a  bundle 
of  faggots  tied  with  cords.  The  Maya  figure  is  explained  as  the 
day-sign  imix,  representing  the  first  day  of  the  calendar,  and,  by 
a  kind  of  synecdoche,  the  whole  calendar,  with  a  superfix. 

7.  Rules  for  Tracing  the  Tonalamatl,  or  Ritual  Calendar. 
That  the  computations  of  the  tonalamatl  underlie  most  of  the 
numerals  in  the  Codices  is  shown  by  the  rules  for  reading  them, 
formulated   by    Pousse   with    reference    to    the    red    and  black 
numerical  signs.     These  rules  are  as  follows  : — 1 

1.  If  to  a  red  number  be  added  the  black  number  immediately 
following  it,  the  total  less  13  (or  its  multiples,  when  the  total  is 
above  13)  equals  the  next  following  red  number. 

2.  When  the  red  and  black  numbers  are  written  alternately  on 
the  same  line,  they  are  to  be  read  from  left  to  right;  when  written 
one  above  the  other,  they  are  to  be  read  from  below  upward ;  when 
in  two  vertical  columns,  they  are   to  be  read  passing  from  one 
column  to  the  other,  beginning  with  the  first  black  number  on 
the  left,  passing  to  the  first  black  number  on  the  right,  returning 
to  the  second  black  number  on  the  left,  and  so  on. 

Sequences  of  this  kind  are  governed  by  the  following 
rules : — 

1 .  In  any  of  the  above  systems  the  beginning  is  always  marked 
by  one  or  more  columns  of  days  surmounted  by  a  number. 

2.  This  number  is   always  the   same  as  that  which  ends  the 
series,  and  both  are  written  in  red. 

3.  The  sum  of  the  numbers  written  in   black,  multiplied  by 
the  number   of  days  with   different  names   represented   by  the 

1  A.  Pousse,  in  Archives  de  la  Societe  Amiricaine  de  France,  1886,  1887. 


32  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

hieroglyphs  attached,  always  equals  260,  that  is,  the  number  of 
days  in  the  tonalamatl. 

The  above  rules  enable  the  student  to  recognize  the  relations 
of  the  different  parts  of  the  Codices.  They  prove,  for  instance, 
that  the  pages  are  not  to  be  read  from  top  to  bottom,  but  that  the 
separate  parts  or  chapters  are  to  be  read  in  many  instances  from 
left  to  right  in  the  section  of  the  page  in  which  they  begin, 
without  respect  to  the  folds  of  the  MSS. ;  and  that  evidently  in 
reading  these  "  books  "  they  were  unfolded  and  spread  out.  A 
good  example  of  this  is  in  Cod.  Dresden,  pages  4-10,  on  which 
one  chapter  covers  all  the  upper  thirds  of  the  seven  pages. 

8.   The  Codices  as  Astronomical  Treatises. 

A  careful  examination  of  Dr.  Forstemann's  remarkable  stud- 
ies, as  well  as  a  number  of  other  considerations  drawn  from  the 
Codices  themselves,  have  persuaded  me  that  the  general  purpose 
of  the  Codices  and  the  greater  inscriptions,  as  those  of  Palenque, 
have  been  misunderstood  and  underrated  by  most  writers.  In 
one  of  his  latest  papers1  Professor  Cyrus  Thomas  says  of  the 
Codices  :  "  These  records  are  to  a  large  extent  only  religious  cal- 
endars ; "  and  Dr.  Seler  has  expressed  his  distrust  in  Dr.  Forste- 
mann's opinions  as  to  their  astronomic  contents.  My  own  con- 
viction is  that  they  will  prove  to  be  much  more  astronomical 
than  even  the  latter  believes ;  that  they  are  primarily  and 
essentially  records  of  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies ;  and 
that  both  figures  and  characters  are  to  be  interpreted  as  refer- 
ring in  the  first  instance  to  the  sun  and  moon,  the  planets,  and 
those  constellations  which  are  most  prominent  in  the  nightly  sky 
in  the  latitude  of  Yucatan. 

This  conclusion  is  entirely  in  accordance  with  the  results  of  the 
most  recent  research  in  neighboring  fields  of  American  culture. 
The  profound  studies  of  the  Mexican  Calendar  undertaken  by 
Mrs.  Zelia  Nuttall  have  vindicated  for  it  a  truly  surprising  ac- 


1  In  the  American  Anthropologist  for  July,  1893. 


ASTRONOMY    OF    THE    MAYAS.  33 

curacy  which  could  have  come  only  from  prolonged  and  accur- 
ately registered  observations  of  the  relative  apparent  motions  of 
the  celestial  bodies.1  We  may  be  sure  that  the  Mayas  were  not 
behind  the  Nahuas  in  this  ;  and  in  the  grotesque  figures  and 
strange  groupings  which  illustrate  the  pages  of  their  books  we 
should  look  for  pictorial  representations  of  astronomic  events. 

Of  course,  as  everywhere  else,  with  this  serious  astronomic 
lore  were  associated  notions  of  astrology,  dates  for  fixing  rites 
and  ceremonies,  mythical  narratives,  cosmogonical  traditions 
and  liturgies,  incantations  and  prescriptions  for  religious  func- 
tions. But  through  this  maze  of  superstition  I  believe  we  can 
thread  our  way  if  we  hold  on  to  the  clue  which  astronomy  can 
furnish  us.  In  the  present  work,  however,  I  do  not  pretend  to 
more  than  prepare  the  soil  for  such  a  labor. 

A  proof  of  the  correctness  of  this  opinion  and  also  an  admir- 
able example  of  the  success  with  which  Dr.  Forstemann  has 
prosecuted  his  analysis  of  the  astronomical  meaning  of  the 
Codices  is  offered  by  his  explanation  of  the  24th  page  of  the 
Dresden  Codex,  laid  before  the  International  Congress  of 
Americanists,  in  1894. 

He  showed  that  it  was  intended  to  bring  the  time  covered  in 
five  revolutions  of  Venus  into  relation  to  the  solar  years  and 
the  ceremonial  years,  or  tonalamatl,  of  260  days  ;  also  to  set 
forth  the  relations  between  the  revolutions  of  the  Moon  and  of 
Mercury  ;  further,  to  divide  the  year  of  Venus  into  four  unequal 
parts,  assigned  respectively  to  the  four  cardinal  points  and  to 
four  divinities ;  and,  finally,  to  designate  to  which  divinities 
each  of  the  five  Venus-years  under  consideration  should  be 
dedicated. 

This  illustrates  at  once  the  great  advance  his  method  has 
made  in  the  interpretation  of  the  Codices,  and  the  intimate 
relations  we  find  in  them  between  astronomy  and  mythology. 


1  See  her  "  Note  on  the  Ancient  Mexican  Calendar  System,"  communicated  to  the 
Tenth  International  Congress  of  Americanists,  Stockholm,  1894. 


34  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

Such  a  theory  of  the  Mayan  books  which  we  have  at  hand  is 
world-wide  distant  from  that  of  Thomas  and  Seler.  Take,  for 
example,  the  series  of  figures,  Cod.  Cort.,  pp.  14%  15*,  i6V 
Forstemann  and  myself  would  consider  them  to  represent  the 
position  of  certain  celestial  bodies  before  the  summer  solstice 
(indicated  by  the  turtle  on  p.  7);  while  Thomas  says  of  them, 
"  It  may  safely  be  assumed  that  these  figures  refer  to  the  Maya 
process  of  making  bread  ! !  "  2 

9.  Astronomical  Knowledge  of  the  Ancient  Mayas. 

Our  information  from  European  sources  as  to  the  astronomical 
knowledge  possessed  by  the  Mayas  is  slight. 

That  they  looked  with  especial  reverence  to  the  planet  Venus 
is  evident  from  the  various  names  they  applied  to  it.  These 
were:  Noh  Ek,  "  the  Great  Star"  or  "the  Right-hand  Star;" 
Chac  Ek,  "  the  Strong  Star  "  (or  "  the  Red  Star  ") ;  Zaztal  Ek, 
"  the  Brilliant  Star ;"  Ah-Zahcab,  "  the  Controller  or  Companion 
of  the  Dawn;"3  and  Xux  Ek,  "the  Bee  or  Wasp  Star,"  for 
reasons  which  will  be  considered  later.  In  the  Tzental  dialect 
it  was  called  Canan  Chulchan,  "  the  Guardian  of  the  Sky,"  and 
Mucid  Canan,  "  the  Great  Guardian." 

The  North  Star  was  well  known  as  Xaman  Ek  (xaman,  north, 
ek,  star),  and  also  as  Chimal  Ek,  "the  Shield  Star,"  or  "Star  on 
the  Shield."  4  It  was  spoken  of  as  "  the  Guide  of  the  Mer- 
chants" (Dice,  de  MotuF),  and  therefore  was  probably  one  of  their 
special  divinities. 

The  historian  Landa  states  that  the  Mayas  measured  the  pas- 

1  As  the  pages  of  the  Codices  are  generally  divided  into  compartments  by  trans- 
verse  lines,  the  custom  of  students  is   to  designate  these  from  above  downward  by 
small  letters  added  to  the  number  of  the  page. 

2  In  American  Anthropologist,  July,  1893,  p.  262. 

3  "  El  lucero  de  la  manana,  que  parece  hacer  amanecer."     Dice,  de  Motul. 

4  Like  chimal  ik,   "  north    wind."     Chimal  is  the  Nahuatl    chimalli,  shield,  f-o 
these  terms  must  be  of  late  origin  in  Maya. 


MAYA   STAR-NAMES.  35 

sage  of  time  at  night  by  observations  of  the  Pleiades  and  Orion.1 
The  name  of  the  former  in  their  language  is  Tzab,  a  word  which 
also  means  the  rattles  of  the  rattlesnake.  In  the  opinion  of  Dr. 
Forstemann,2  their  position  in  the  heavens  decided  the  beginning 
of  the  year  (or,  perhaps,  cycle,  as  with  the  Nahuas),  and  they 
%vere  represented  in  the  hieroglyphs  by  the  moan  sign  (to  be  ex- 
plained on  a  later  page). 

Certain  stars  of  the  constellation  Gemini  were  defined,  and 
named  Ac,  or  Ac  Ek,  "  the  Tortoise  Stars,"  from  an  imagined 
similarity  of  outline  to  that  of  the  tortoise.3  This  may  explain 
the  not  infrequent  occurrence  of  the  picture  of  that  animal  in 
the  Codices,  and  its  representations  in  stone  at  Copan  and  else- 
where. 

The  terms  for  a  comet  in  Maya  were  Budz  Ek,  "  Smoking 
Star,"  and  Ikomne,  "  Breathing  or  Blowing,"  as  it  was  supposed 
to  blow  forth  its  fiery  train  ;  in  Tzental  it  was  Tza  EC,  "  Star 
Dust."  Shooting  stars  were  Chamal  Dzutan,  "  Magicians' 
Pipes,"  as  they  were  regarded  as  the  fire-tubes  of  certain  power- 
ful enchanters. 

The  stars  in  Orion  were  known  as  Mehen  Ek,  "  the  Sons," 
doubtless  referring  to  some  astronomical  myth. 

The  Milky  Way  was  spoken  of  under  two  different  names, 
both  of  obscure  application,  Tamacaz  and  Ah  Poou.  Another 
meaning  of  the  former  word  is  "madness,  insanity;"  and  the 
latter  term  was  also  applied  to  a  youth  who  had  just  attained  the 
age  of  puberty.4  Perhaps  the  connection  of  the  word  lies  in  the 
ceremonies  of  initiation  practiced  by  many  tribes  when  a  youth 
reached  this  age,  and  which,  by  fasting  and  the  administration  of 


1  "  Regianse  de  noche,  para    conocer  la  hora,  por  el  lucero,  i   las  cabrillas  i  los 
astilejos  ;  de  dia,  por  el  medio  dia."     Landa,  Cosas  de  Yucatan,  cap.  34. 

2  Entzifferung  der  Mayahandschriften,  No.  IV. 

3  "  Las  tres  estrellas  juntas  que  estan  en  el  signo  de  Geminis,  las  quales,  con  otras, 
hacen  forma  de  tortuga."     Dice,  de  Motul. 

4  These  definitions  are  given  in  the  Dice.  Motul. 


36  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

toxic  herbs,  often  led  to  temporary  mania ;  and  the  deity  of  the 
Milky  Way  may  have  presided  over  these  rites. 

The  moon  in  opposition  was  referred  to  as  u  nitpptanba,  from 
nupp,  opposed,  opposite.  When -in  conjunction,  the  expression 
was  hunbalan  ?/,  "  the  rope  of  the  moon,"  or,  "  the  moon  roped." 
When  it  was  in  eclipse,  it  was  chibil  u,  "  the  moon  bitten,"  the 
popular  story  being  that  it  was  bitten  by  a  kind  of  ant  called 
xulab.  An  eclipse  of  the  sun  was  also  chibil  kin,  "  the  sun  bit- 
ten ; "  but  more  frequently  the  phrase  was  tupul  u  uich  kin,  or, 
tupan  u  uich  kin,  "the  eye  of  the  day  is  covered  over,"  or, 
"  shut  up."  It  is  useful  to  record  such  expressions,  as  they 
sometimes  suggested  the  graphic  representations  of  the  occur- 


1  In  Cod.  Peres.,  pp.  18,  19,  the  sun  is  shown  bitten  by  birds,  snakes,  etc.  We 
probably  have  in  this  a  reference  to  an  eclipse.  On  a  later  page  I  shall  show  the 
hieroglyph  of  the  double  loop  of  the  rope,  which  probably  signifies  the  moon  in 
conjunction. 


MYTHOLOGY    OF    THE    MAYAS.  37 


III.  The  Pictorial   Elements. 

To  understand  the  pictorial  portions  of  the  inscriptions  some 
acquaintance  with  the  native  mythology  is  indispensable. 

I.   The  Religion  of  the  Ancient  Mayas. 

The  religion  of  the  Mayas  was  a  polytheism,  but  the  principal 
deities  were  few  in  number,  as  is  expressly  stated  by  Father 
Francisco  Hernandez,  the  earliest  missionary  to  Yucatan 
(1517); x  and  these,  according  to  the  explicit  assertion  of  Father 
Lizana,  were  the  same  as  those  worshipped  by  the  Tzentals  of 
Tabasco  and  Chiapas.2  Both  these  statements  are  confirmed  by 
a  comparison  of  the  existing  remains,  and  they  greatly  facilitate 
a  comprehension  of  the  Codices  and  epigraphy. 

The  spirit  of  this  religion  was  dualistic,  the  gods  of  life  and 
light,  of  the  sun  and  day,  of  birth  and  food,  of  the  fertilizing 
showers  and  the  cultivated  fields,  being  placed  in  contrast  to 
those  of  misfortune  and  pain,  of  famine  and  pestilence,  of  blight 
and  night,  darkness  and  death.  Back  of  them  all,  indeed  the 
source  of  them  all,  was  Hunab  Ku,  "  the  One  Divine ; "  but  of 
him  no  statue  and  no  picture  was  made,  for  he  was  incorporeal 
and  invisible.3 

Itzamna, —  Chief  of  the  beneficent  gods  was  Itzamna.  He  was 
the  personification  of  the  East,  the  rising  sun,  with  all  its  mani- 
fold mythical  associations.  His  name  means  "  the  dew  or 


1  The  account  of  Hernandez  is  given  by  Las  Casas,  Historia  de  las  Indias,  cap. 
CXXIII.    The  monk  says  that  the  principal  lords  alone  knew  the  histories  of  the  gods. 

2  Lizana's  work,  of  which  only  one  complete  copy  is  known  to  exist  (in  Madrid), 
has  been  partly  republished  by  Brasseur  in  the  Appendix  to  Landa,  Cosas  de  Yucatan. 
He  says  the  votaries  came  from  Chiapas  and  Tabasco,  p.  359. 

3  The  Dice,  ftfotul  defines  Hunab  Ku  thus  :  "  the  one  true  and  living  God ;  the 
greatest  of  all  the  gods  of  Yucatan  was  so  named,  and  he  had  no  idol,  because  they 
said  that  he  could  not  be  represented,  seeing  that  he  was  incorporeal."     This  diction- 
ary, to  which,  I  shall  often  refer,  is  one  of  the  Maya  language,  composed  at  the  Con- 
vent of  Motul,^bout  1570.     A  copy  is  in  my  possession. 


38  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

moisture  of  the  morning,"  and  he  was  the  spirit  of  the  early 
mists  and  showers.  He  was  said  to  have  come  in  his  magic 
skiff  from  the  East,  across  the  waters,  and  therefore  he  presided 
over  that  quarter  of  the  world  and  the  days  and  years  assigned 
to  it. 

For  similar  reasons  he  received  the  name  Lakin  chan,  "  the 
Serpent  of  the  East/'  under  which  he  seems  to  have  been  popu- 
larly known.  As  light  is  synonymous  with  both  life  and  knowl- 
edge, he  was  said  to  have  been  the  creator  of  men,  animals,  and 
plants,  and  was  the  founder  of  the  culture  of  the  Mayas.  He 
was  the  first  priest  of  their  religion,  and  invented  writing  and 
books;  he  gave  the  names  to  the  various  localities  in  Yucatan, 
and  divided  the  land  among  -the  people ;  as  a  physician  he  was 
famous,  knowing  not  only  the  magic  herbs,  but  possessing  the 
power  of  healing  by  touch,  whence  his  name  Kabil,  "  the  skilful 
hand,"  under  which  he  was  worshipped  in  Chichen  Itza.  For 
his  wisdom  he  was  spoken  of  as  Yax  coc  ak-mut,  "  the  royal  or 
noble  master  of  knowledge." 

Cuculcan. — In  some  sense  a  contrast,  in  others  a  completion 
of  the  mythical  concepts  embodied  in  Itzamna,  was  Cucidcan  or 
Cocol  chan,  "  the  feathered  or  winged  serpent."1  He  also  was  a 
hero-god,  a  deity  of  culture  and  of  kindliness.  He  was  tradi- 
tionally the  founder  of  the  great  cities  of  Chichen  Itza,  and 
Mayapan  ;  was  active  in  framing  laws  and  introducing  the  cal- 
endar, at  the  head  of  which  some  Maya  tribes  placed  his  name ; 
was  skilled  in  leechcraft,  and  was  spoken  of  as  the  god  of  chills 
and  fevers. 

As  Itzamna  was  identified  with  the  East,  so  was  Cuculcan 
with  the  West.  Thence  he  was  said  to  have  come,  and  thither 
returned.2  In  the  Tzental  calendars  he  was  connected  with  the 


1  In   my  work,  American  Hero- Myths   (Philadelphia,   1882),  Chap.    IV,  "  The 
Hero-gods  of  the  Mayas,"  I  have  treated  at  considerable  length  the  duplicate  tradi- 
tions relating  to  Itzamna  and  Cuculcan. 

2  "  Todos  conforman  en  que  este   (Cuculcan)   entr6  por  la  parte  del  poniente." 


THE   SUN-GODS.  39 

seventh  day  (moxic,  Maya,  manik) ;  hence  he  is  mystically  asso- 
ciated with  that  number.  He  corresponds  to  the  Gukumatz  of 
the  Quiche  mythology,  a  name  which  has  the  same  signification. 

In  the  myth  he  is  described  as  clothed  in  a  long  robe  and 
wearing  sandals,  and,  what  is  noteworthy,  having  a  beard.  In 
the  calendars  of  the  Tzentals  he  was  painted  "  in  the  likeness 
of  a  man  and  a  snake,"  and  the  "  masters  "  explained  this  as 
"  the  snake  with  feathers,  which  moves  in  the  waters,"  that  is, 
the  heavenly  waters,  the  clouds  and  the  rains  ;  for  which  reason 
Bishop  Nunez  de  la  Vega,  to  whom  we  owe  this  information, 
identified  him  with  the  Mexican  Mixcoatl,  "  the  cloud  serpent ;"  l 
whereas  Bishop  Landa  was  of  opinion  that  he  was  the  Mexican 
Quetzalcoatl. 

Kin  ich. — As  Itzamna  was  thus  connected  with  the  rising, 
morning  sun,  and  Cuculcan  with  the  afternoon  and  setting  sun, 
so  the  sun  in  the  meridian  was  distinguished  from  both  of  them. 
As  a  divinity,  it  bore  the  name  Kin  ich,  "  the  eye  or  face  of  the 
day."  The  sacrifices  to  it  were  made  at  the  height  of  noontide, 
when  it  was  believed  that  the  deity  descended  in  the  shape  of 
the  red  macaw  (the  Ara  macao),  known  as  Kak  mo,  "  the  bird 
of  fire,"  from  the  color  of  its  plumage,  and  consumed  the  offer- 
ing. Such  ceremonies  were  performed  especially  in  times  of 
great  sickness,  general  mortality,  the  destruction  of  the  crops 
through  locusts,  and  other  public  calamities.  It  seems  probable 
from  the  accounts  that  Kin  ich  was  a  much  less  prominent 
divinity  in  the  popular  mind  than  either  of  the  other  two  solar 
deities,  and  his  attributes  were  occasionally  assigned  to  Itzamna, 

Herrera,  Historia  de  las  Indias,  Dec.  IV,  cap.  2.  Looking  toward  the  North,  Itzamna 
was  the  right-hand  god,  Cuculcan  the  left-hand ;  hence,  the  arrival  of  the  former  was 
called  noknial,  "  right-hand  coming,"  of  the  latter,  dzicnial,  "left-hand  coming." 
(Cogolludo,  Hist,  de  Yucatan,  Lib.  IV,  cap.  IV.) 

1  "  En  los  Repertorios  mas  generales  tienen  pintado  el  7  signo  en  figura  de  hom- 
bre  y  de  Culebra,  que  llaman  Cttchitl  chan,  y  han  explicado  los  Maestros  que  es 
culebra  de  plumas  que  andaen  el  agua."  Nunez  clela  N  tg^l  Constitution  es  Diocesanas, 
Parte  II,  p.  132. 


4O  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

as  we   find   the  combination  Kin  icJi  ahau  Itzanma  among  the 
names  of  divinities. 

Otlier  Gods. — To  Itzamna  was  assigned  as  consort  Ix  C/icl, 
"  the  rainbow,"  also  known  as  Ix  Kan  Leom,  "  the  spider-web" 
(which  catches  the  dew  of  the  morning).  She  was  goddess  of 
medicine  and  of  childbirth,  and  her  children  were  the  Bacabs,o\: 
Ckacs  (giants),1  four  mighty  brethren,  who  were  the  gods  of  the 
four  cardinal  points,  of  the  winds  which  blow  from  them,  of  the 
rains  these  bring,  of  the  thunder  and  the  lightning,  and  conse- 
quently of  agriculture,  the  harvests,  and  the  food  supply.  Their 


FIG.  7. — The  Beneficent  Gods  draw  from  their  Stores.     (Photographed  from  the 
Cortesian  Codex.) 

position  in  the  ritual  was  of  the  first  importance.  To  each  were 
assigned  a  particular  color  and  a  certain  year  and  day  in  the 
calendar.  To  Hobnil,  "  the  hollow  one  "  or  "  the  belly,"  were 
given  the  south,  the  color  yellow,  and  the  day  and  years  kan, 


1  The  word  chac  means  "  strong  ;  the  color  red  ;  heat ;  water."  The  Dice.  Motnl 
says  :  "  Significa  agua  en  algunas  maneras  de  decir ;  tambien  dios  de  las  aguas, 
relampago  y  trueno;  chacal  ik,  tempestad  de  agua,  huracan." 


THE   CARDINAL    POINTS.  41 

the  first  of  the  calendar  series,  and  so  on.  The  red  Bacab  was 
to  the  east,  the  white  to  the  north,  and  the  black,  whose  name 
was  Hozan  Ek,  "  the  Disembowelled,"  to  the  west.1 

The  Cardinal  Points. — Much  attention  has  been  directed  to 
these  divinities  as  representing  the  worship  of  the  cardinal  points 
and  to  the  colors,  days,  cycles,  and  elements  mythically  asso- 
ciated with  them.  Uniform  results  have  not  been  obtained,  as 
the  authorities  differ,  as  probably  did  also  the  customs  of  various 
localities.2  Pio  Perez  assigns  kan  to  the  east,  mulucto  the  north, 
ix  to  the  west,  and  cauac  to  the  south.  The  arrangement  based 
on  Landa's  statements  would  be  as  follows  : — 

Cardinal  point,  Bacab.  Days.  Colors.      Elements. 

South,  Hobnil  (the  Belly),  Kan,  Yellow,  Air. 

East,  Canzicnal  (Serpent  Being),  Muluc,  Red,  Fire. 

North,  Zaczini  (White  Being),  Ix,  White,  Water. 

West,  Hozan  ek  (the  Disembowelled  Cauac,  Black,  Earth. 

Black  one), 

On  the  other  hand,  it  should  be  noted  that  the  names  of  the 
winds  in  Maya  distinctly  assign  the  color  white  to  the  east, 
thus  :— 

East  wind,  zac  ik,  "  white  wind." 

Northeast  wind,  zac  xaman  ik,  "  white  north  wind." 

Southeast  wind,  zac  nohol  ik,  "  white  south  wind." 

The  solution  of  these  difficulties  must  be  left  for  future  inves- 
tigation. 

The  Good  Gods. — Divinities  of  a  beneficent  character  were 
Yum  Chac,  "  Lord  of  Waters  or  Rains  ;  "  Yum  Kaax,  "  Lord  of 
the  Harvest  Fields  ; "  Cum  Ahau,  "  Lord  of  the  Vase,"  that  is, 


1  Mr.  J.  Walter  Fewkes  is  certainly  correct  in  his  argument  that  the  "  ceremonial  cir- 
cuit," of  the  Mayas, — the  direction   of  movement  in  their  ceremonies — was  sinistral, 
that  is,  from  right  to  left,  in  most  instances.     This  should  be  remembered  in  studying 
the  pictorial  portion  of  the  Codices.     See  Mr.  Fewkes'  article,  "  A  Central-American 
Ceremony,"  in  the  American  Anthropologist,  July,  1893. 

2  An  article  by  Dr.  C.  Schultz-Sellack,  entitled  "  Die  Amerikanischen  Cotter  der  vier 
Weltrichtungen,"  in  the  Zeitschrift fiir  Ethnologie,^&.  XI,  maybe  profitably  read  in 
this  connection,  though  some  of  its  statements  are  antiquated. 

4 


42  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

of  the  rains,  who  is  described  in  the  Die.  Motul  as  "  Lucifer, 
Chief  of  the  Devils  "  and  is  probably  a  name  of  Itzamna  ;  Zuhuy 
Kak,  "Virgin  Fire,"  patroness  of  infants  ;  Znhuy  Dsip,  "The 
Virgin  of  Dressed  Animals,"  a  hunting  goddess ;  Ix  Tabai, 
"  Goddess  of  the  Ropes  or  Snares,"  also  a  hunting  goddess  as 
well  as  the  patroness  of  those  who  hanged  themselves  ;  Ah  Kak 
Neck,  "  He  Who  Looks  after  the  Cooking  Fire,"  Ah  Ppua,  "  the 
Master  of  Dew,  "  and  Ah  Dziz,  "  The  Master  of  Cold,"  divinities 
of  the  fishermen. 

To  this  list  should  be  added  Acan,  "  the  God  of  the  Intoxi- 
cating Mead,"  the  national  beverage,  that  being  its  name;  Ek 
Chua,  "  the  Black  Companion,"  god  of  the  cacao  planters  and 
the  merchants,  as  these  used  the  cacao  beans  as  a  medium  of 
exchange ;  Ix  Tub  Tun,  "  she  who  spits  out  Precious  Stones," 
goddess  of  the  workers  in  jade  and  amethysts  ;  Cit  Bolon  Tun, 
"  the  Nine  (i.  e.,  numberless)  Precious  Stones,"  a  god  of  medi- 
cine ;  Xoc  Bitum,  the  God  of  Singing,  and  Ah  Kin  Xoc  or  Ppiz 
Lim  Tec,  the  God  of  Poetry  (xoc,  to  sing  or  recite) ;  Ix  Chebel 
Yax,  the  first  inventress  of  painting  and  of  colored  designs  on 
woven  stuffs  (chebel,  to  paint,  and  a  paint-brush). 

A  minor  deity  was  f&'Guxaa*,  "  the  swallow-legged,"  a  divin- 
ity of  the  island  of  Cozumel  ("Swallow  Island"). 

On  a  lofty  pyramid,  where  is  now  the  city  of  Valladolid,  Yuca- 
tan, was  worshipped  Ah  zakik  ual,  "  Lord  of  the  East  Wind." 
His  idol  was  of  pottery  in  the  shape  of  a  vase,  moulded  in  front 
into  an  ugly  face.  In  it  they  burned  copal  and  other  gums. 
His  festival  was  celebrated  every  fourth  year  with  sham  battles.1 
Probably  this  was  a  representation  of  Itzamna  as  lord  of  the 
cardinal  point. 

The  "  Island  of  Women,"  Isla  de  Mugeres,  on  the  east  coast, 
was  so  named  because  the  first  explorers  found  there  the  statues 
of  four  female  divinities,  to  whom  altars  and  temples  were  dedi- 


1  Relacion  de  la    Villa  de    Valladolid '(1579),  caps.  I  and  X.     This  Relacion  was 
printed  in  the  Compte  Rendu  of  the  Congress  of  Americanists,  the  Madrid  Meeting. 


VARIOUS    DIVINITIES.  43 

cated.1  They  were  Ix-chel,  Ix-chebel-yax,  Ix-hun-ye,  and  Ix- 
hun-yeta.  The  first  two  have  already  been  mentioned.  The 
last  two  seem  to  have  been  goddesses  connected  with  the  moon- 
rise  and  sunrise,  as  the  dictionaries  give  as  the  meaning  of  ye, 
"  to  show  one's  self,  to  appear  ;  "  as  in  the  phrases  yethaz  y  alial- 
cab,  "  at  the  appearance  of  the  dawn  ;  "  yethaz  u  hokol  u,  "  at 
moonrise  ;  "  yet  hokol  kin,  "  at  sunrise." 

Prominent  among  mythical  beings  were  the  dwarfs,  known 
as  ppuz,  "  bent  over  ;  "  ac  ninic,  "  turtle  men  ;  "  tzapa  uinic, 
"  shortened  men  ; "  and  ppntiirn,  "  small  of  body."  They  are 
sometimes  represented  in  the  carvings,  an  interesting  example 
being  in  the  Peabody  Museum.  A  legend  concerning  such 
brownies  was  that  before  the  last  destruction  of  the  world  the 
whole  human  race  degenerated  into  like  diminutive  beings, 
which  prompted  the  gods  to  destroy  it.2  One  class  of  these 
little  creatures,  called  acat,  were  said  to  become  transformed  into 
flowers. 

As  I  have  shown  elsewhere,3  many  similar  superstitions  sur- 
vive in  the  folk-lore  of  Yucatan  and  Tabasco  to-day.  But  it  is 
not  safe  to  look  at  such  survivals  as  part. .of  genuine  ancient  my- 
thology. For  instance,  the  goddess  Ix-nuc,  or  Xnuct  said  by 
Brasseur  to  have  been  goddess  of  the  mountains,  by  Seler,  god- 
dess of  the  earth,  and  by  Schellhas,  goddess  of  water,  is  in  fact 
not  a  member  of  the  Maya  Pantheon.  The  name  means  simply 
"  old  woman,"  and  was  first  mentioned  by  an  anonymous 
modern  writer  in  the  Registro  Yucateco. 

The  Gods  of  Evil. — In  contrast  to  the  beneficent  deities  were 
those  who  presided  over  war,  disease,  death,  and  the  under- 
world. Distinctively  war  go.ds  were  Uac  Loin  Chaam,  "  He 

1  Landa,  Rel.  de  las  Cosas  de  Yucatan,  p.   72  (Madrid  Ed.).     The  ruins  of  this 
ancient  fane  are  still  plainly  visibly  from  the  sea.    J.  L.  Stephens,  Travels  in  Yucatan, 
vol.  II,  p.  358. 

2  Carrillo,  Historia  Antigua  de  Yucatan,  p.  207. 

3  See   the  article   "  The  Folk-lore  of  Yucatan,"  in  my  Essays  of  an  Americanist 
(Philadelphia,  1890). 


44  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

whose  teeth  are  six  lances,"  worshipped  anciently  at  Ti-ho,  the 
present  Merida ;  Ahulane,  "  The  Archer,"  painted  holding  an 
arrow,  whose  shrine  was  on  the  island  of  Cozumel ;  Pakoc  (from 
paakal,  to  frighten)  and  Hex  Chun  Chan,  "The  dangerous  one," 
divinities  of  the  Itzaes  ;  Kak  u  pacat,  "  Fire  (is)  his  face,"  who 
is  said  to  have  carried  in  battle  a  shield  of  fire  ;  Ah  Chuy  -Kak, 
"  He  who  works  in  fire,"  that  is.,  for  destruction ;  Ah  Cun  Can, 
"  The  serpent  charmer,"  also  worshipped  at  Ti-Ho;  Hun  Pic  Tok, 
"  He  of  8000  lances,"  who  had  a  temple  at  Chichen  Itza. 

Chief  of  all  these  evil  beings  was  the  God  of  Death.  His 
name  is  preserved  in  the  first  account  we  have  of  Yucatecan 
mythology,  that  by  Father  Hernandez,  and,  according  to  Father 
Lara,  it  was  the  same  among  the  Tzentals,  Maya,  Ah-puch, 
Tzental,  Pucugh.  These  words  mean  "the  Undoer,"  or 
"  Spoiler,"  apparently  a  euphemism  to  avoid  pronouncing  a 
name  of  evil  omen.1  In  modern  Maya  he  is  plain  Yum  cimil, 
"  lord  of  death."  He  was  painted  as  a  skeleton  with  bare  skull, 
and  was  then  called  Chamay  Bac,  or  Zac  Chamay  Bac,  "  white 
teeth  and  bones."  • 

The  spirit  (pixaii)  after  death  was  supposed  to  go  to  the 
Underworld,  which  was  called  Mitna,  or  Metna  where  presided 
the  god  Xibilba  or  Xabalba,  sometimes  called  Hun  Ahan,  ".the 
One  lord,"  for  to  his  realm  must  all  come  at  last.3  Another 
name  for  this  Hades  was  tancucula  (perhaps  tan  kukul,  "  before 
the  gods,"  i.  e.j  where  one  is  judged),  which  is  given  by  the 
Dice.  Motul  as  an  "  ancient  word  "  (vocablo  antiguo).  The 
happy  souls  then  passed  to  a  realm  of  joy,  where  they  spent 


1  In  Maya//#M  tun  means  to  stone  to  death,  matar  a  pedradas,  Die.  MotuL 

2  Beltran,  Arte  de  la  lengua  Maya,  p.  217.     Another  name  he  gives  is  Ox  kokol 
tzek,  "  thrice  beaten  bones." 

3  Dr.  Seler  (  Verhand.  Berlin.  Anthrop.  Gesell.,  1 886,  S.  416)  considers  Hun  Ahau 
to  be  a  calendar  name  ;   but  it  is  significant,  without  having  recourse  to  this  round- 
about explanation.     Xibilbay,  "  the  place  of  disappearance,"  is  the  Quiche  name  for 
the  underworld,  corresponding  to  the  Mictlan  of  the  Nahuas.     Both  the  terms  in  the 
text  may  therefore  be  borrowed.     See  my  Essays  of  an  Americanist,  pp.  127,  143. 


THE    BATTLE    OF    THE    GODS. 


45 


their  time   under  the  great  green  tree  Yaxche,  while  those  who 
were  condemned  sank  down  to  a  place  of  cold  and  hunger.    ' 

T/ie  Conflict  of  the  Gods. — Between  these  two  classes  of  deities 
— those  who  make  for  good  and  those  who  make  for  evil  in  the 
life  of  man — there  is,  both  in  the  myths  and  in  the  picture 
writings,  an  eternal  conflict. 


FIG.  8. — The  gods  of  Life  and  of  Growth  plant  the  tree.     Death  breaks  it  in  twain. 
(Photographed  from  the  Cortesian  Codex.) 


In  the  Codex  Troano,  as  Dr.  Seler  remarks,  "  The  god  of 
death  appears  as  the  inevitable  foil  of  the  god  of  light  and 
heaven.  In  whatever  action  the  latter  is  depicted,  the  god  of 
death  is  imitating  it,  but  in  such  a  manner  that  with  him  all  turns 
to  nought  and  emptiness.  Where  the  light-god  holds  the  string, 
in  the  hands  of  the  death -god  it  is  torn  asunder;  where  the 
former  offers  incense,  the  latter  carries  the  sign  of  '  fire '  where- 
with to  consume  it ;  where  the  former  presents  the  sign  kant 
food,  the  latter  lifts  an  empty  vase  bearing  the  signs  of  drought 
and  death." 


46  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

2.   The  Cosmogony  of  the  Mayas. 

We  know  practically  nothing  of  the  cosmogony  of  the  Mayas ; 
but  it  is  instructive  in  connection  with  their  calendar  system  to 
find  that,  like  the  Nahuas,  they  believed  in  Epochs  of  the  Uni- 
verse, at  the  close  of  each  of  which  there  was  a  general  destruc- 
tion of  both  gods  and  men.  The  early  writer,  Aguilar,  says 
that  he  learned  from  the  native  books  themselves  that  they 
recorded  three  such  periodical  cataclysms.  The  first  was  called 
MayacimU,  "  general  death  ;  "  the  second,  Oc  na  kuchil,  "  the 
ravens  enter  the  houses,"  that  is,  the  inhabitants  were  all  dead ; 
and  the  third,  Hun  yecil,  a  universal  deluge,  a  term  which  the 
Dice.  Motnl  seems  to  explain  by  mentioning  a  tradition  that  the 
water  was  so  high  "  that  its  surface  was  within  the  distance  of 
one  stalk  of  maguey  from  the  sky!"  Another  term  for  this 
catastrophe  was  bulcabal,  haycabal  or  haycabil  (destruccion,  asol- 
amiento  y  diluvio  general  con  que  me  destruido  y  asolado  el 
mundo.  Dice.  Motul}. 

This  would  make  the  present  the  fourth  age  of  the  world  (not 
the  fifth,  as  the  Nahuas  believed) ;  and  .this  corresponds  to  the 
prophecies  contained  in  the  "  Books  of  Chilan  Balam,"  which  I 
have  quoted  in  another  work.  The  scene  of  the  creation  of  man, 
the  "  terrestrial  Paradise,"  was  known  as  hun  anhil,  and  the  name 
of  the  first  man  was  Amim,both  apparently  from  the  verb  anhel, 
to  stand  erect. 

•  Many  of  the  high  calculations  of  the  priests  must  have  been 
for  the  purpose  of  discovering  the  length  of  the  present  epoch 
and  how  soon  the  world  would  end.  They  seem  to  have 
thought  this  would  take  place  when  all  their  various  time-meas- 
ures would  merge  together  into  a  common  unity,  which  each 
could  divide  without  remainder.1 


1  There  are  some  reasons  to  believe  that  at  the  time  of  the  composition  of  the  Cod. 
Dres.  the  priests  calculated  that  the  world  had  then  been  in  existence  3744  years. 
See  Forstemann,  in  Compte-Rendu  du  -Congres  des  Americanistes,  VII  Session,  p.  746. 
Elsewhere,  however,  another  suggestion  as  to  the  meaning  of  that  number  is  offered. 


IDEA    OF    THE    UNIVERSE. 


47 


3.   Cosmic al  Conceptions  of  the  Mayas. 

The  cosmical  conceptions  of  the  ancient  Mayas  have  not 
hitherto  been  understood  ;  but  by  a  study  of  existing  documents 
I  believe  they  can  be  correctly  explained  in  outline. 


FIG.  9. — The  Universe.     (From  the  Chilan  Balam  of  Mani.) 

One  of  these  is  the  central  design  in  the  Chilan  Balam,  or 
Sacred  Book,  of  Mani  (Fig.  9).  It  was  copied  by  Father  Cogol- 
ludo  in  1640,  and  inserted  in  his  History  of  Yucatan,  with  a 
totally  false  interpretation  which  the  natives  designedly  gave 
him. 


48  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

The  lettering  in  the  above  figure  is  by  the  late  Dr.  C.  H. 
Berendt,  and  was  obtained  by  him  from  other  books  of  Chilan 
Balam,  and  native  sources.  In  Cogolludo's  work,  this  design  is 
surrounded  by  thirteen  heads  which  signify  the  thirteen  ahau 
katuns,  or  greater  cycles  of  years,  as  I  have  explained  elsewhere.* 
The  number  thirteen  in  American  mythology  symbolizes  the 
thirteen  possible  directions  of  space.2  The  border,  therefore, 
expresses  the  totality  of  Space  and  Time  ;  and  the  design  itself 
symbolizes  Life  within  Space  and  Time.  This  is  shown  as  fol- 
lows :  At  the  bottom  of  the  field  lies  a  cubical  block,  which  rep- 
resents the  earth,  always  conceived  of  this  shape  in  Mayan 
mythology.3  It  bears,  however,  not  the  lettering,  him,  the  Earth, 
as  we  might  expect,  but,  significantly,  tern,  the  Altar.  The  Earth 
is  the  great  altar  of  the  Gods,  and  the  offering  upon  it  is  Life. 

Above  the  earth-cube,  supported  on  four  legs  which  rest  upon 
the  four  quarters  of  the  mundane  plane,  is  the  celestial  vase, 
cum,  which  contains  the  heavenly  waters,  the  rains  and  showers, 
on  which  depends  the  life  of  vegetation,  and  therefore  that  of 
the  animal  world  as  well.  Above  it  hang  the  heavy  rain  clouds, 
muyal,  ready  to  fill  it ;  within  it  grows  the  yax  che,  the  Tree  of 
Life,  spreading  its  branches  far  upward,  on  their  extremities 
the  flowers  or  fruit  of  life,  the  soul  or  immortal  principle  of  man, 
called  ol  or  yol? 

Turning  now  to  the  central  design  of  what  has  been  called 
the  "  Tableau  of  the  Bacabs,"  in  the  Codex  Cortesianus,  Fig.  10, 
we  can  readily  see  in  the  light  of  the  above  explanation  that  its 


1  See  my  Essays  of  an  Americanist,  p.  269 ;  and  also  an  article  by  me,  "  Notes  on 
the  Codex  Troano  and  Maya  Chronology,"  in  the  American  Naturalist,  September, 
1881. 

2  See  the  interesting  observations  of  Mr.  F.  H.  Cushing  in  my  Native  Calendar  of 
Central  America  and  Mexico,  p.  8. 

3  Thus  in  the  Popol  Vuh,  pp.  4,  6,  it  is  called  "the  quadrated  earth,  four-pointed, 
four-sided,  four-bordered." 

4  "  OL  ;  el  corazon  formal  y  no  el  material."  Die.  Motul. 


COSMICAL    CONCEPTIONS. 


49 


lesson  is  the  same.  The  design  is  surrounded  by  the  signs  of 
the  twenty  days,  beyond  which  the  field  (not  shown  in  this  cut) 
is  apportioned  to  the  four  cardinal  points  and  the  deities  and 
time-cycles  connected  with  them. 


FIG.   10. — Our  First  Parents.     (From  the  Cortesian  Codex.) 


Again  it  is  Life  within  Space  and  Time  which  the  artist  pre- 
sents. The  earth  is  not  represented  ;  but  we  readily  recognize 
in  conventionalized  form  the  great  Tree  of  Life,  across  it  the 
celestial  Vase,  and  above  it  the  cloud-masses.  On  the  right  sits 
Cuculcan,  on  the  left  Xmucane,  the  divine  pair  called  in  the 
Fopol  Vuh  "the  Creator  and  the  Former,  Grandfather  and  Grand- 


*-  /3  6,  i 


5O  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

mother  of  the  race,  who  give  Life,  who  give  Reproduction."  l 
In  his  right  hand  Cuculcan  holds  three  glyphs,  each  containing 
the  sign  of  Life,  ik.  Xmucane  has  before  her  one  with  the  sign 
of  union  (sexual) ;  above  it,  one  containing  the  life-sign  (pro- 
duct of  union) ;  and  these  are  surmounted  by  the  head  of  a 
fish,  symbolizing  the  fructifying  and  motherly  waters. 

The  total  extension  of  the  field  in  these  designs  resembles 
the  glyph  a  in  Fig.  6.  It  is  found  in  both  Mayan  and  Mexican 
MSS.,2  and  expresses  the  conception  these  peoples  had  of  the 
Universe.  Hence  I  give  it  the  name  of  the  "  cosmic  sign." 

4.  Pictorial  Representations  of  Divinities. 

Turning  to  the  Codices  and  the  monuments  with  the  above 
mythological  lore  in  one's  memory,  it  seems  to  me  there  is  no 
difficulty  in  identifying  most  of  the  pictures  presented  by  them. 
That  this  has  not  been  accomplished  heretofore,  I  attribute  to 
the  neglect  of  the  myths  by  previous  writers,  and  a  persistent 
desire  to  discover  in  the  mythology  of  the  Mayas,  not  the  divini- 
ties which  they  themselves  worshipped,  but  those  of  some  other 
nation,  as  the  Nahuas,  Quiches,  Zapotecs,  or  Pueblo  dwellers.3 
I  shall  pay  small  attention  to  such  analogies,  as  the  Mayas  had 
a  religion  of  their  own,  and  it  is  that  which  I  wish  to  define. 
We  may  turn  first  to  the — 

1  "  E  alom,  e  qaholom."     Popol  Vuh,  p.  6.     Ximenes  adds  :  "  y  mas  en  los  naci- 
mientos  de  los  ninos  son  los  que  asisten."      Origen  de  los  Indios,  p.  158. 

2  See  numerous  examples  in  Prof.  Cyrus  Thomas's  suggestive  monograph,  "  Notes 
on  certain  Maya  and  Mexican  Manuscripts,"  in  the  third  annual  Report  of  the  Bureau 
of  Ethnology  (Washington,  1884).     Mr.  Francis  Parry,  in  an  article  entitled  "  The 
Sacred  Symbols  and  Numbers  of  Aboriginal  America,"  in  Bull,  of  the  Amer.   Geog. 
Soc.t  1894,  classes  it  as  a  "  sun  symbol ;  "  but  in  this,  as  in  most  of  his  identifications, 
I  find  myself  unable  to  agree  with  him. 

3  The  doubts  expressed  by  Dr.  Schellhas  as  to  the  worth  of  mythology  in  these 
studies    (Zeitschrift  fiir  Ethnologic,  1892,  p.  102),  are  justified  by  the  confusion  of 
Mayan  with   Mexican  myths  in  Dr.  Seler's  writings ;  but  I  hope  to  show  not  by  the 
facts  themselves. 


THE    GOD    OF    LIGHT.  5! 

Representations  of  Itzamna. — I  have  no  hesitation  in  identify- 
ing Itzamna  with  the  "  god  B,"  as  catalogued 
by  Dr.  Schellhas  in  his  excellent  study  of  the 
divinities  of  the  Codices,1  and  which  he  believes 
to  be  Cuculcan,  while  the  Abbe  Brasseur, 
followed  by  Dr.  Seler,  argue,  that  it  is  a 
"Tlaloc"  or  Chac,  i.e.,  a  rain  god.2  He  is  FIG.  n.— Monogram 

&  of  Itzamna. 

extremely  prominent   in   the    Codices,  being 
painted  in  the  Dresden  Codex  alone  not  less  than  130  times,  and 
in  the  others  about  70  times.     No  other  deity  has  half  so  many 
representations,  and  we  may  well  believe,  therefore,  that  he  was 
the  Jove  of  their  Pantheon. 

This  at  once  suggests  Itzamna;  but  a  phrase  of  the  historian 
Cogolludo  leaves  no  doubt  about  it.  The  "  god  B  "  is  associ- 
ated with  the  signs  of  the  east,  and  his  especial  and  invariable 
characteristic  are  two  long,  serpent- like  teeth,  which  project  from 
his  mouth,  one  in  front,  the  other  to  the  side  and  backward.3 
These  traits  enable  us  to  identify  "  B  "  with  Lakin  Chan,  "  the 
serpent  of  the  east,"  who  was  portrayed  "  with  strangely  de- 
formed teeth,"  and  this  was  unquestionably  but  another  name 
for  Itzamna,  the  god  of  the  east.4 

An  abundance  of  evidence  may  be  adduced  to  confirm 
this  opinion.  This  deity  is  represented  in  close  relations 
with  the  serpent,  holding  it  in  his  hand,  sitting  upon  it, 
even  swallowed  by  it,  or  emerging  from  its  throat.  As  a 

1  Schellhas,   "  Die    Gottergestalten    der   Mayahandschriften,"    in   Zeitschrift  fur 
Ethnologie,  1892.     This  is  a  classical  article  which  I  shall  have  frequent  occasion  to 
quote. 

2  Brasseur,  Le  MS.  Troano,  p.  214. 

3  Without   pausing   to  discuss  whether  this  is  "  tooth  "  or  "  tongue,"  it  is,  at  any 
rate,  a  serpentine  trait,  as  may  readily  be  seen  by  comparison  with  many  serpents  pic- 
tured  in   the   Codices.     I  may  add  that  Professor  Cyrus  Thomas  writes  me  that  he 
also  considers  the  "  long-nosed  god"  to  be  Itzamna. 

4  The  phrase  of  Cogolludo  is :  "con  dientes  muy  disformes."     The  name  Lakin 
Chan,'\s  in  the  Tzental  dialect.    The  Maya  would  be  Likin  can  ;  though  lakin,  east, 
appears  in  the  "  Books  of  Chilan  Balam."  • 


52       .  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

44  medicine  man  "  he  carries  the  "  medicine  bag,"  and  the  wand 
or  baton,  called  in  Maya  caluac,  "  the  perforated  stick,"  *  sur- 
mounted with  a  hand,  hinting  at  his  name  above  given,  Kabil, 
the  Skilful  Hand.  He  is  often  in  a  boat,  to  recall  his  advent 
over  the  eastern  sea,  and  he  is  frequently  associated  with  the 


FIG.  12. — Itzamna  :  from  the  Codex 
Troano. 


FIG.  13. — Itzamna:  from  the  Inscription  of 
Kabah. 


showers,  as  was  Itzamna,  who  said  of  himself,  itz  en  muyal,  its 
en  caan,  "  I  am  what  trickles  from  the  clouds,  from  the  sky." 
As  the  rising  sun  which  dispels  the  darkness,  or  else  as  the 
physician  who  heals  disease,  he  is  portrayed  sitting  on  the  head 
of  the  owl,  the  bird  of  night  and  sickness  ;  and  as  the  giver  of 

1  Caluac  is  from  calacal,  "  cosa  muy  agujerada  "  (Dice.  Molut].  The  mayordomo 
was  called  ah  caluac,  the  baton  being  his  staff  of  office.  Landa  omits  the  prefix  by 
mistake,  Rel.  de  Yucatan?\>.  40.  It  is  well  shown  on  a  later  page. 


ITZAMNA. 


53 


life  he  is  associated  with  the  emblem  of  the  snail,  typical  of 
birth. 

He  himself  is  never  connected  with  the  symbols  of  death  or 
misfortune,  but  always  with  those  of  life  and  light.  The  lance 
and  tomahawk  which  he  often  carries  are  to  drive  away  the 
spirits  of  evil. 

Besides  the  above  peculiarities,  he  is  portrayed  as  an  elderly 
man,  his  nose  is  long  and  curved  downward,  his  eye  is  always 
the  "  ornamented  eye,"  which  in  the  Maya  Codices  indicates  a 
divinity.  He  is  associated  with  all  four  quarters  of  the  globe, 
for  the  East  defines  the  cardinal  points ;  and  what  is  especially 
interesting,  it  is  he  who  is  connected  with  the  Maya  "  Tree  of 
Life,"  the  celebrated  symbol  of  the  cross,  found  on  so  many 
ancient  monuments  of  this  people  and  which  has  excited  so 
much  comment.  This  I  shall  consider  later. 


FIG.  14. — Itzamha  :  from  the  Dresden  Codex. 

We  know  from  the  mythology  that  Itzamna,  like  most  deities, 
was  multiform,  appearing  in  various  incarnations.  In  the  cere- 
monies this  was  represented  by  masks ;  with  this  in  mind  I  class 
as  merely  one  of  the  forms  or  epiphanies  of  Itzamna  that  figure 


54  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

in  the  Codices  described  by  Dr.  Schellhas  as  a  separate  deity, 
"  the  god  with  the  ornamental  nose,"  whom  he  catalogues  as 
"  god  K."  I  am  led  to  this  conclusion  by  a  careful  study  of  all 

the  pictographs  in  which  this  deity 
appears ;  they  all  seem  to  show 
that  it  is  Itzamna  wearing  a  mask 
to  indicate  some  one  manifesta- 
tion of  his  power  (see  especially 

FIG.  15.— Mask  of  Itzamna  (?).        Cod.     Dresden.,   pp.    /,    12,    25,    26, 

and  34,  65,  and  67,  where  Itzamna 

is  carrying  the  mask  on  his  head).  That  there  is  a  particular 
monogram  for  this  character  merely  indicates  that  it  was  a 
separate  mythological  manifestation,  not  a  different  deity. 

A  remarkable  and  constant  feature  in  the  representations  of 
Itzamna  is  his  nose.  Thomas  calls  it  "  elephantine,"  but,  as 
Waldeck  and  Seler  have  shown,  it  is  undoubtedly  intended  to 
imitate  the  snout  of  the  tapir} 

When  we  remember  that  this  animal  was  sacred  to  Votan, 
who  played  the  same  part  in  Chiapas  that  Itzamna  did  in  Yuca- 
tan, dividing  and  naming  the  land,  etc. ;  and  that  the  interesting 
slate  tablets  from  Chiapas,  in  the  National  Museum  of  Mexico, 
portray  the  sacred  tapir  in  intimate  connection  with  the  symbol 
of  the  hand?  that  associated  with  Itzamna, — we  are  led  to  identify 
the  two  mythical  personages  as  one  and  the  same.  According 
to  Bishop  Landa  the  tapir  was  not  found  in  Yucatan  except  on 
the  western  shore  near  the  bay  of  Campeche,3  which  shows 

1  Waldeck,  Voyage  Pittoresque  dans  /'  Yucatan,  pp.   37,    74,  etc.     (Paris,   1838.) 
This  writer  recognized  the  tapir  snout  on  various  masks  and  statues  at  Palenque,  and 
adds  that  he  found  the  animal  still  venerated  by  the  natives.     Dr.  Seler  does  not 
mention  Waldeck's  remarks,  but  extends  the  identification  to  the  figures  in  the  codices. 
Zeitschrift  fur  Ethnologie,  1888. 

2  On  the  symbolism  of  the  tapir  see  the  erudite  remarks  of  Don  Alfredo  Chavero 
in  the    Antiguedades  Mexicanas  publicadas  por  la  Junta  Colombina  de  Mexico, — 
Texto,  p.  xxxv  (Mexico,  1892). 

3  Relacion  de  las  Cosas  de  Yucatan,  p.  109  (Madrid  Edition). 


THE    TAPIR    GOD.  55 

that  the  myth  of  the  tapir  god  was  imported  from  Tzental 
territory. 

It  may  be  asked  why  the  tapir,  a  dull  animal,  loving  swamps 
and  dark  recesses  of  the  forests,  should  have  been  chosen  to 
represent  a  divinity  of  light.  I  reply,  that  it  arose  from  the 
"  ikonomatic  "  method  of  writing.  The  word  for  tapir  in  Maya 
is  tzimin,  in  Tzental  tzemen,  and  from  the  similarity  of  this  sound 
to  i-tzam-^na  the  animal  came  to  be  selected  as  his  symbol.  No 
such  sacredness  attached  to  the  brute  among  the  Quiches,  for 
in  their  tongue  the  allusive  sound  did  not  exist,  the  tapir  being 
called  tixl.  This  rebus  also  confirms  the  identity  of  Itzamna 
with  the  tapir-nosed  deity  of  the  Codices.1 

The  annual  festival  to  Itzamna  was  called  Pocamy  "the  cleans- 
ing." On  that  occasion  the  priests,  arrayed  in  all  their  insignia, 
assembled  in  the  house  of  their  prince.  First,  they  invoked 
Itzamna  as  the  founder  of  their  order  and  burned  to  him  incense 
with  fire  newly  made  from  the  friction  of  sticks.  Next  they 
spread  out  upon  a  table  covered  with  green  leaves  the  sacred 
books,  and  asperged  their  pages  with  water  drawn  from  a  spring 
of  which  no  woman  had  ever  tasted.  This  was  the  ceremonial 
"  cleansing."  Then  the  chief  priest  arose  and  declared  the 
prognostics  for  the  coming  year  as  written  in  the  holy  records.2 

We  may  well  believe  that  the  Dresden  Codex,  pages  29—43, 
which  are  entirely  taken  up  with  the  deeds  and  ceremonies  of  It- 
zamna, was  one  of  the  books  spread  out  on  this  solemn  occasion. 

Representations  of  Cuculcan. — As  I  believe  the  reasons  above 
given  are  sufficient  to  establish  the  identity  of  the  "  god  B," 

1  In  the  American  Anthropologist,  July,  1894,  Mr.  J.  Walter  Fewkes  devotes  an 
article  to  what  he  calls  "the  long-nosed  god"  in  the  Cortesian  Codex  (Itzamna). 
He  does  not  mention  the  similarity  of  the  nose  to  the  snout  of  the  tapir,  and  his  con- 
clusion is  that  it  is  a  "snake  rain  god,"  "'probably  Cuculcan,"  "  parallel  with  Tlaloc." 
He  thinks  the  heads  portrayed  in  the  Codices  are  "  masks  or  ceremonial  helmets.'' 
It  is  needless  to  point  out  the  divergence  between  his  opinions  and  mine  on  these 
points. 

2  Landa :  Relacion  de  las  Cosas  de  Yucatan,  p.  87. 


56  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

of  Dr.  Schellhas'  catalogue,  with  Itzamna,  so  I  think  his  "  god  D  " 
is  Cuculcan.1  He  himself  believes  it  to  be  a  "  night  god,"  or 
a  "  moon  god,"  while  Dr.  Seler  considers  it  to  portray  Itzamna. 
The  characteristics  of  this  divinity  are  :  A  face  of  an  old 
man,  with  sunken  mouth  and  toothless  jaws,  except  one  tooth 
in  the  lower  jaw,  which,  in  the  Tro.  and  Cortes.  Codices,  is 
exaggerated  as  a  distinctive  sign;  he  has  the  "ornamented 
eye "  peculiar  to  deities ;  and  to  his  forehead  is  attached,  or 
over  it  hangs,  an  affix,  which  generally  bears  the  sign  akbal, 
which  means  "  darkness,"  because  he  is  the  setting  or  night 


FIG.  16. — Monogram  of  FIG.  17. — Cuculcan,  with  owl 

Cuculcan.  head-dress. 

sun ;  for  which  reason  his  head-dress  is  often  the  horns  of  the 
eared  owl.  He  is  clearly  a  beneficent  deity,  and  is  never  asso- 
ciated with  symbols  of  misfortune  or  death.  Indeed,  he  is  at 
times  evidently  a  god  of  birth,  being  accompanied  with  the 
symbol  of  the  snail,  above  explained,  and  is  sometimes  asso- 
ciated with  women  apparently  as  an  obstetrician.  He  is  con-* 
nected  with  serpent  emblems,  and  holds  in  his  hand  a  sacred 
rattle  formed  of  the  rattles  of  the  rattlesnake. 

All  these  traits  coincide    with  the  myths  of  Cuculcan ;  but 
when  we  perceive  that  he,  and  he  alone  of  all  the  deities,  is 


1  The  name  has  various  orthographies ;  that  which  I  here  adopt  appears  to  have 
most  in  its  favor.  It  is  a  compound  of  cucul,  covered  (*.  <?.,  with  feathers),  and  can, 
snake;  (cucul also  means  "revolving.") 


THE    MIDDAY    SUN.  57 

occasionally  depicted  with  a  beard  under  his  chin,  just  as  Cucul- 
can  wore  in  the  legend,  the  identification  becomes  complete.1 

The  most  striking  of  his  representations,  and  that  which  is 
most  distinctive  of  his  identity  with  the  "  green-feathered  ser- 
pent," is  the  picture  which  extends  over  pp.  4  and  5,  middle,  of 
the  Dresden  Codex.  Here  he  is  seen  with  face  emerging  from  the 
mouth  of  the  great,  green-feathered  snake-dragon,  indicative  of 
his  own  personality,  his  hieroglyph  immediately  above  his  head.2 

Representations  of  Kin  ich. — As  has  already  been  observed,  the 
sun  at  noon,  conceived  as  a  divinity,  did  not  occupy  a  promi- 
nent place  in  Maya  mythology  ;  and  this  is  also  the  case  in  the 
pictorial  designs. 

There  is  no  doubt  as  to  his  representation.  It 
is  accompanied  by  the  well-known  ideogram  of 
the  sun  scattered  over  his  body  and  represented 
above  him.  It  will  be  seen  on  a  later  page. 

He  is  richly  arrayed  with  large  ear-rings  and  a  T 

J          *  FIG.  18.— Mono- 

characteristic,  prominent   nose  decoration.       He    gram  of  Kin  ich. 

has  the  "  ornamented  eye  "  and  a  full  head  dress. 
(God  "  G  "  of  Schellhas). 

Proceeding  now  to  consider  other  divinities  of  the  beneficent 
class,  I  begin  with — 

Representations  of  Xaman  Eky  the  Pole  Star. — -This  is  the  "  god 
C,  of  the  ornamented  face,  "  of  Dr.  Schellhas'  list,  who  suggests 
its  identity  with  the  pole  star.  The  very  characteristic  face  re- 
curs extremely  frequently,  especially  in  Codices  Troano,  Cor- 
tesianus,  and  Peresianus.  We  have  evidently  to  do  with  an 
important  divinity,  and,  as  Dr.  Schellhas  says,  "  one  of  the 


1  Examples  are   frequent;  a  good  one  is  Cod.  Tro.,  p.   24*^.     Not  to  be  con- 
founded with  the  moan  hairs  around  the  mouth,  nor  with  the  chin  beard  of  the  black 
monkey.  , 

2  Space  does  not  permit  me  to  enter  into  the  symbolism  and  myths  connected  with 
"the  feathered  serpent"  of  Central  American  mythology.     Mr.   Fewkes  has  argued 
that  it  also  extended  to  the  Pueblo  tribes,  and  traces  may  be  found  still  further  north. 
See  Fewkes,  in  American  Anthropologist,  July,  1893. 

5 


58  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

most  remarkable  and  difficult  figures  in  the  manuscripts." 
That  it  is  the  personification  of  a  star  he  argues,  (i)  from  the 
ring  of  rays  with  which  it  is  surrounded,  Cod.  Cort,  p.  10 ; 
(2)  from  its  appearance  in  the  "  constellation  band ;"  (3)  from  its 
surmounting  in  certain  pictures  the  "tree  of  life;  "  and  that  it 
is  the  North  Star  is  shown  by  its  presence  in  the  hieroglyph 
of  that  quarter  and  its  association  with  the  sign  for  north. 

There  is  another,  and,  to  me,  decisive  argument,  which  at  once 
confirms  Dr.  Schellhas'  opinion,  and  explains  why  the  north 
star  is  represented  by  this  peculiar,  decorated  face. 

The  term  for  "  north  "  in  Maya  is  xaman,  whence  xaman  ek, 
north  star.  The  only  other  word  in  the  language  which  at  all 
resembles  this  is  xamach,  the  flat,  decorated  plate  or  dish  (Na- 
huatl,  comalli)  on  which  tortillas,  etc.,  are  served.  In  the  rebus- 
writing  the  decorations  on  the  rim  of  this  dish  were  convention- 
ally transferred  to  the  face  of  the  deity,  so  as  to  distinguish  it  by 
recalling  the  familiar  utensil.  For  a  similar  reason  it  is  also 
called  "  the  shield  star,"  cliimal  ek  (like  chimal  ik,  north  wind) ; 
but  as  this  is  a  foreign  word  (from  the  Nahuatl,  chimalli,  shield), 
it  was  doubtless  later  and  local.  I  shall  refer  to  this  peculiar 
edging  or  border  as  the  "  pottery  decoration,"  and  we  shall 
find  it  elsewhere. 

That  the  figure  is  associated  at  times  with  all  four  quarters  of 
the  world,  and  also  with  the  supreme  number  13  (see  above, 
p.  24),  are  not  at  all  against  the  identification,  as  Dr.  Schellhas 
seems  to  think,  but  in  favor  of  it ;  for  at  night,  all  four  direc- 
tions are  recognized  by  the  position  of  the  pole ;  and  its  immov- 
able relation  to  the  other  celestial  bodies  seems  to  indicate  that 
it  belongs  above  the  highest. 

The  North  Star  is  especially  spoken  of  'as  "  the  guide  of 
merchants."  Its  representation  is  associated  with  symbols  of 
peace  and  plenty  (removing  the  contents  of  a  tall  vase,  C.  Cor- 
tes., p.  40;  seated  under  a  canopy,  ibid.,  p.  29).  In  front  of  his 
forehead  is  attached  a  small  vase,  the  contents  of  which  are 
trickling  into  his  mouth  (?). 


THE    PLANET    VENUS. 


59 


He  is  especially  prominent  in  the  earlier  pages  of  the  Cod. 
Peres.,  where  his  presence  seems  to  have  been  practically  over- 
looked by  previous  writers  ;  and  it  is  true  that  the  drawings  are 
nearly  erased.  Close  inspection  will  show,  however,  that  he  is 
portrayed  on  both  sides  of  the  long  column  of  figures  which 
runs  up  the  middle  of  page  3.  On  the  left,  he  is  seated  on  the 
"Tree  of  Life,"  as  in  Cod.  Troanus,  p.  17,  a  (which  is  growing 
from  the  vase  of  the  rains,  precisely  as  in  Cod.  Tro.,  14,  $, 
where  the  star-god  is  sailing  in  the  vase  itself). 
On  the  right  of  the  column  he  is  shown  in  the 
darkness  of  night  (on  a  black  background), 
holding  in  his  hand  the  kan  symbol  of  fortune 
and  food.  A  similar  contrast  is  on  page  7, 
where  on  the  right  of  the  column  he  is  seen 
above  the  fish,  and  on  the  left,  in  the  dark, 
again  with  the  kan  symbol.  On  the  intermediate 
page  he  is  seated  opposite  the  figure  of  Kin  ich  FlG- 19-— The  North 
Ahau,  which  is  head  downward,  signifying  that 
when  the  sun  is  absent  the  pole  star  rules  the  sky. 

Representations  of  the  Planet  Venus. — In  view  of  the  prominent 
part  which    the   Venus-year   plays  in   the  calculations  of  the 
Codices,  it  has  surprised  students  that 
no  pictorial  figures  of  this  bright  star 
appear  on  their  pages.    On  this  point 
I  have  some  suggestions  to  make. 

In  one  part  of  the  Codex  Troano 
(pp.  i*-io*)  there  are  a  great  many — 
nearly  fifty — pictures  of  an  insect  re- 
sembling a  bee  in  descending  flight. 
These  pages  have  been  explained  by  FlG-  2°'~™reJ^; 'god-    (Codex 
Thomas  as  relating  to  apiculture  and 

the  festivals  of  the  bee-keepers,  and  by  Seler,  who  rejects  that 
rendering,  as  referring  generally  to  the  descent  of  deities  to 
receive  offerings.  Direction  downward  is  indicated  not  only 
by  the  position  of  the  insect,  but  by  the  accompanying  hiero- 


6O  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

glyph,  which  reads  caban,  the  first  syllable  of  which,  cab,  means 
"  downward.'  My  suggestion  is  that  in  this  bee-like  insect  we 
have  an  ikonomatic  allusion  to  the  Evening  Star,  which,  as  I 
have  already  stated,  was  sometimes  called  xux  ek,  "  the  bee  or 
wasp  star."  1 

Not  only  is  the  picture  phonetically  appropriate,  and  the 
"  sign  "  consistent,  but  that  a  deity  is  referred  to  is  shown  by 
three  anthropomorphic  pictures  of  the  bee  (two  on  p.  4*  and  one 
on  p.  5*).  Furthermore,  the  "sign  "  or  monogram  of  the  bee 
deity  (Fig.  20)  appears  on  the  so-called  "  title  pages  "  of  the 
Cod.  Tro.  and  Cod.  Cortes.,  adjacent  to  that  of  the  north  star, 
indicating  that  another  stellar  deity  is  represented. 

The  object  toward  which  the  insect  descends  is  generally  either 
a  fire,  or  that  shown  in  Fig.  22.2  This  was  supposed  by  Bras- 
seur  to  be  a  honeycomb,  and  by  Seler,  a  food  offering.  It  is 
almost  precisely  the  conventional  representation  of  the  clouds, 
as  may  be  noted  in  the  interesting  scene  on  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  5*,  where 
this  object  is  placed  upon  the  earth,  below  which  is  the  cloud 
symbol.  Often  it  is  yellowish,  a  point  which  has  been  urged  in 
proof  that  it  is  honey.  Does  it  not  mean  the  golden-hued  clouds 
of  sunset,  and  the  fire,  the  flame  of  the  setting  sun,  into  which 
the  Evening  Star  descends  ? 

The  sign  caban,  "  downward,"  naturally  refers  to  the  Earth.8 
Thither  sinks  the  star  of  evening  to  join  the  departed  orb  of 
day ;  hence  this  star  mythically  becomes  the  Earth-goddess, 
the  associate  of  the  setting  sun.  Cuculcan  is  very  frequently 
depicted  in  relation  to  an  old  crone,  having,  like  himself,  but  one 


1  Father  Lara,  in  his    Vocabulario  Tzental,  MS.,  gives  the  name  of  one  variety  of 
bee  as  xanab  xux;  in   Maya,  xux  is  usually  translated  "  wasp,"  "  abispa  brava.'' 
As  a  radical,  it  seems  to  mean  "  to  go  or  sink  slowly  into  something." 

2  The  two  bees,  one  waking,  one  sleeping,  Cod.  Tro.   33*,  are  placed  between 
signs  representing  the  winds. 

3  The  word  cab  has  various  meanings:  a  bee ;  a  bee-hive  ;  honey ;  the  red  or  white 
clay  with  which  potters  painted  their  jars;  strength  or  power;  town,  place,  or  world; 
short  or  low;  down,  downward,  or  below  (all  given  in  the  Dice,  de  Motul}. 


THE    BEE    GOD. 


6 1 


tooth,  and,  like  himself,  ever  engaged  in  kindly  offices,  good  to 
men.  She,  I  take  it,  is  the  Evening  Star  in  her  epiphany  as 
Mother  Earth,  source  of  life,  ancestress  of  the  race. 

A  striking  verbal  analogy  supports  this.  In  the  Popol  Vuh, 
the  sacred  book  of  the  Quiches,  the  "  feathered  serpent,"  Guku- 
matz,  is  positively  said  to  be  the  bisexual  principle  of  life  repre- 
sented by  the  male  Xpiyacoc  and  the  female  Xmucane,  ancestor 
and  ancestress  of  all  that  is.1  Here,  x-mucane  is  most  likely  the 
Quiche  feminine  form  of  muc  (?//)  canan,  which  is  aTzentalname 


FIG.  21. — Monograms  of  the  Bee  Go,d. 

for  the  planet  Venus,  as   I  have  already  mentioned.2 
elusion  is,  therefore,  that  the   old   woman   so 
frequently   associated    with    Cuculcan     is    the 
Evening  Star,  in  her  form  as  the  Earth-God- 
dess.    I  shall  recur  to  her  on  a  later  page. 

I  think  all  these  representations  of  the  bee 
should  be  interpreted  as  indicating  the  move- 
ments of  Venus,  and  the  mythical  conceptions 
with  which  they  were  connected  in  the  native  mind. 


My  con- 


FlG.    22. — Offerings 
to  the  Bee  God. 


1  "  Thus  it  is  that  are  named,  sung,  and  celebrated  those  who  are  the  grandmother 
and  grandfather,  whose  name  is  Xpiyacoc,  Xmucane,  preserver,  protector,  twofold 
grandmother,  twofold  grandfather.  *  *  *  They  alone,  the  Maker,  the  Former,  the 
Ruler,  the  Serpent  clothed  in  feathers,  They  who  beget,  They  who  impart  life,  They 
rest  upon  the  waters  like  a  growing  light.     They  are  clothed  in  color  green  and  blue. 
Therefore  their  name  is  Gucumatz,  '  Feathered  Serpent.'  "     Popol  Vuh,  pp.  4,  6. 

2  The  root  muc,  in  all  the  Mayan  dialects,  also  means  "  to  cover  over,  to  hide,  to 
bury."     The  word  mucul  ("  that  which  is  disappearing  ")  is  applied  to  the  moon  when 
in  the  wane  (luna  menguante). 


62  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

Representation  of  Ghanan,  God  of  Growth  and  Fertility.  — 
Bishop  Nunez  de  la  Vega  tells  us  that  in  the  calendar  he  discov- 
ered among  the  natives  of  his  diocese,  the  fourth  "  sign  "  or  day 
corresponded  to  the  Mexican  Centeotl,  god  of  fertility  and  the 
maize  harvests.  This  fourth  day  in  the  Tzental  calendar  bore 
the  name  Ghanan,  and  on  turning  to  the  Tzental  Dictionary 
prepared  by  Father  Lara,  we  find  that  ghan  is  the  general  term 
for  the  ear  of  maize  ;  aghan,  when  the  grains  are  still  soft. 

His  representations  in  the  Codices  are  moderately  frequent 
and  quite  peculiar.  They  all  present  in  a  marked  degree  the 
flattening  of  the  forehead  and  prolongation  of  the  occiput  up- 
ward which  is  so  striking  in  many  of  the  sculptures. 

Dr.  Schellhas,  indeed  (who  catalogues  him   as  "  God  E  "),  is 
so  impressed  by  this  that  he  argues  that  all  such  forms  were 
imaginary,  obtained  by  the  artists  through  copying  the*conven- 
tional  drawings  of  an  ear  of  maize  arranged  as  a  head-dress. 
This,  however,  is  going  too  far,  as  there  is  evi- 
dence, derived  from  ancient  skulls,  that  certain 
classes  of  Maya  priests  used  to  have  the  head 
artificially  flattened    in  this   manner.1     Perhaps 
they  were  those  destined  for  the  service  of  this 
or  similar  deities.     The  officiants  on  the  Palen- 
que  "Tablet  of  the  Cross,"  presenting  offerings 
to  the  "  tcee  of  life,"  are  both  deformed  in  this 
manner. 

The  maize  god  is  associated  with  symbols  of 
food,   of  vegetable    growth,  and    of  prosperity. 
He  carries  a  vase  or  is  drawing  forth  the  con- 
FIG.    23.  —  From   tents  of  one,  Cod.  Cort.,  p.  40;  he  is  seen  with 


the   loom'  Cod-  Dres"  P-  45,  and  he  generally 
Growth.  has  about  him  the  kan  symbol,  that  of  means 

and  comfort. 

1  See  Crescendo  Carrillo,  in  Anales  del  Museo  National  de  Mexico,  Tomo  III,  and 
Dr.  Boas,  in  Proceedings  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society  for  1890,  pp.  350-357  ; 
the  Die.  Motul  gives  the  Maya  word  for  one  with  head  thus  flattened,  "  pechhec  hoi, 
el  de  cabeza  chata."  Landa,  Cosas  de  Yucatan,  cap.  XXX,  speaks  of  the  custom. 


VARIOUS    GODDESSES.  63 

Representations  of  the  Serpent  Goddess. — One  of  the  most  strik- 
ing pictures  in  the  Codices  is  the  Serpent  Goddess,  whose  fami- 
liar is  the  rattlesnake,  which  she  wears  as  a  head-dress  or  as  a 
girdle.  She  is  depicted  as  an  old  woman,  her  costume  ample 
and  often  splendid,  decorated  with  embroidery  and  bells,  with 
necklace  and  ear-rings  of  jade. 

In  expression  she  is  severe,  her  lips  protrude  in  anger,  and 
her  hands  and  feet  sometimes  end  in  claws.  The  sinister  cross- 
bones  sometimes  decorate  her  skirts.  Her  business  is  with 
water  and  the  rains.  She  is  pouring  from  a  vase  (Cod.  Dres.,  pp. 
43,  67,  74) ;  or  water  is  flowing  from  her  armpits,  hands,  and 
mammae;  or  she  is  ejecting  it  forcibly  from  her  mouth  (Cod. 
Tro.,  pp.  25,  27,  34*). 

She  is,  however,  not  always  represented  as  in  old  age,  or  else 
there  was  another  serpent  goddess  in  the  mythology ;  for  in  a 
number  of  places  a  similar  serpentine  head-dress  is  borne  by  a 
young  woman  who  holds  a  vase  containing  the  rattles  of  the 
rattlesnake  (Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  15,  1 8) ;  or  (ibid.,  p.  20),  a  figure  which 
shows  seven  black  dots.  May  this  be  a  sign  of  the  constella- 
tion of  the  Pleiades,  which  in  the  Maya  language  bore  the  same 
name  as  the  rattles  of  the  rattlesnake,  tzab  f 

As  to  the  signification  of  the  serpent  goddess,  I  think  there 
can  be  no  question  of  it,  from  a  study  of  her  appearance,  signs, 
and  associations.  She  was  the  personification  of  the  thunder- 
storm. The  vase  she  empties  is  the  descending  torrent  of  rain, 
the  rattles  she  carries  are  the  thunderclaps,  her  severe  mien  is 
the  terror  inspired  by  the  din  of  the  elements.  In  Maya,  the 
word  for  "  thunder,"  pecchac,  is  derived  from  the  noun  pec,  which 
means  "  a  sound  like  that  of  a  bell  or  rattle  "  (Dice.  Motut]. 

Representations  of  Xmucane. — A  third  goddess  who  can  be 
clearly  distinguished  is  one  with  features  of  an  old  woman,  her 
face  wrinkled,  her  mouth  sunken,  and  but  one  tooth  left  in  her 
lower  jaw.  She  usually  wears  her  hair  in  a  peculiar  style,  two 
wisps  or  ends  of  it  twisted  above  her  head. 

She  does  not  appear  in  the  Peresianus,  and  perhaps  not  in  the 


64  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

Dresden  manuscript,  but  holds  a  prominent  place  in  the  Troanus 
and  Cortesianus.  Her  occupations  are  peaceable;  she  is  weav- 
ing on  a  loom  (C.  Tro.,  p.  1 1),  carrying  a  plate  of  cakes,  etc. 
(Cod.  Cortes.,  pp.  10,  1 1). 

In  appearance  she  is  the  female  counterpart  of  Cuculcan, 
and  is  plainly  intended  to  represent  his  companion  or  wife.  In 
the  "  Tableau  des  Bacabs "  of  the  Codex  Cortes.,  these  two 
alone  are  represented  sitting  under  the  central  "tree  of  life," 
where  they  are  placed  back  to  back  (see  above,  p.  49) ;  while  in 
the  section  of  the  tableau  showing  the  West,  they  are  placed 
face  to  face,  she  seated  under  a  canopy  hung  with  black  and  red 
dotted  lines. 

In  her,  therefore,  we  have  a  person  of  great  importance,  the 
consort  of  Cuculcan,  intimately  associated  with  the  quarter  of 
the  West  to  which  he  belongs.  Dr.  Seler  has  argued  that  she 
was  the  goddess  Ix  chel,  and  the  personification  of  the  Earth. 
With  the  last  supposition  I  agree,  but  not  with  the  name. 
Ix  chel  was  distinctly  by  name  and  myth  the  goddess  of  the  rain- 
bow. Much  more  probably  we  have  in  this  ancient  crone,  as  I 
have  already  said,  the  personification  of  the  Evening  Star,  and 
the  Earth,  Xmucane,  the  companion  of  the  sun  when  worn 
out  by  his  day's  work,  whose  home  is  with  him  in  the  West,  and 
whom  she  soon  joins. 

Representation  of  Ah-Puch,  God  of  Death. — Next  to  Itzamna, 
god  of  Life,  the  god  of  Death,  Ah-Puch,  is  represented  most 
frequently  on  both  Codices  and  monuments.  In  the  former  his 
picture  is  given  about  eighty  times,  usually  as  a  skeleton  with 
tremendous  jaws,  always  with  fleshless  skull  and  backbone, — 
a  true '"God  Barebones,"  as  the  Dice,  de  Motul  describes 
him. 

His  symbols  are  unmistakeable, — the  head  of  a  corpse  and 
cross-bones,  the  ill-omened  owl  and  the  ravenous  dog, — wonder- 
fully "  European"  indeed.  He  has  numerous  costumes  and 
head  dresses;  some  quite  fanciful,  and  occasionally  bells  are  at- 
tached to  his  ankles  and  clothing.  Some  of  his  delineations  seem 


GODS   OF   WAR   AND    DEATH.  65 

to  reveal  a  sense  of  ghastly  humor,  as  we  see  in  the  medieval 
"  dance  of  death." 

He  is  associated  with  the  north,  because  in  that  direction  lay 
the  mythical  home  of  departed  souls  ;  but  he  is  also  present 
in  the  other  .quarters  of  the  compass,  for  death  knows  no  dis- 
tinction of  places  or  persons.  Besides  the  cross-bones,  usually 


FIG.  24.— The  God  of  Death.     (From  the  Codices.) 

shown  as  in  Fig.  25,  No.  I,  he  often  bears  the  curious  design  No. 
2,1  which  I  take  to  be  a  maggot,  and  his  head-dress  is  sometimes 
as  No.  3,  decorated  with  teeth,  or  flints,  with  rays. 


I, 


3. 


FIG.  25.— Symbols  of  the  God  of  Death'. 

Representation  of  the  God  of  War. — Frequently  associated 
with  the  figure  of  death  is  that  of  a  deity  with  a  black  line 
across  his  face.  This  is  numbered  by  Dr.  Schellhas  the  "  god  F," 


1  Former  students  have  been  unable  to  explain  this  design.     It  is  also  found  in 
Mexican  pictography,  as  Cod.  Vien.,  pp.  20,  22. 


66  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

and  called  by  him  a  "  god  of  death."  Much  has  been  made  of 
the  line  across  his  face  as  identifying  him  with  the  Mexican  god 
Xipe,  "  the  flayer;  "  but  this  is  not  a  constant  mark  of  Xipe,  as 
Father  Duran  neither  mentions  it  nor  portrays  it.  In  fact,  it  is 
nothing  more  than  the  line  of  black  paint  athwart  the  face  which 
meant  "  war"  very  generally  among  the 
American  Indians.  An  inspection  of 
the  pictures  clearly  indicates  that  this  is 
a  war  god.  For  instance,  in  Cod.  Tr., 
27  *,  28  *,  29  *  ct  he  is  shown  repeatedly 
at  full  length,  armed  with  a  flaming 
torch  in  one  hand  and  a  flint  knife  in  the 
other,  firing  the  canopies  of  princes,  his 
body  striped  with  war-paint  like  his 

-^1          ^>^y^±       face,  following  the  god  of  death,  who 
_J     C^c^c^^^J     goes  before  him  beating  on  a  drum  and 
FIG.  26. — The  God  of  War.    singing  a  song  of  war  (as  shown  by  the 
lines  issuing  from  his  mouth).     In  Cod. 

Dresden.,  p.  6  e,  he  wears  a  war  helmet  with  nose-piece,  and  his 
body  is  black-striped  also. 

Which  of  the  gods  of  war  I  have  named  this  leading  one  may 
have  been,  I  leave  undetermined. 

Representations  of  Ek  Ahau  and  Other  Black  Gods. — In  the 
Codices  there  are  about  fifty  figures  painted  black,  evidently 
intended  to  represent  deities  supposed  to  be  thus  colored. 
Forty  of  them  are  in  the  Codex  Troano,  which  is  in  parts  devoted 
to  a  prominent  character  of  this  hue.  He  is  depicted  with  a 
truculent  expression,  a  reddish-brown  band  around  his  mouth, 
and  with  a  large,  hanging  under-lip.  He  is  generally  armed 
and  often  fighting.  His  figure  is  sometimes  drawn  unusually 
large,  of  a  ferocious  appearance,  and  carrying  a  huge  spear, 
a  shield,  a  tomahawk,  a  lighted  torch,  or  other  fearful  sign  of 
war.  (See  Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  24,  25.) 

Previous  writers  have  not  been  able  to  assign  a  name  to 
this  deity.  Prof.  Thomas  suggested  that  it  was  Ek  Chuah,  said 


THE    BLACK    GODS. 


by  Landa  to  be  the  god  of  the  cacao  planters ;  but  to  this, 
Schellhas  objects  that  his  warlike  traits  exclude  such  a  sup- 
position.1 So  the  latter  refers  to  him  merely  as  "  the  god 
M." 

About  his  name,  however,  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  The  paintings  correspond 
precisely  with  what  Nunez  de  la  Vega 
tells  us  of  the  Tzental  divinity  leal 
Ahau,  Maya,  Ek  Ahau,  names  which  he 
translates,  "  the  black  chief,"  or,  "  the 
king  of  the  blacks."  He  was  reported 
to  have  been  "  a  famous  warrior  and 
most  cruel."  He  was  depicted  "  in  the 
figure  of  a  ferocious  blackamoor  with 
the  members  of  a  man."2  The  "blacks  " 
of  whom  he  was  king  were  seven  in 
number,  and  were  painted  in  most  of  the 
native  calendars  which  the  bishop  found 
among  the  Tzentals.  They  were  the 
signs  of  seven  days,  beginning,  he  adds, 

with  Friday,  which  may  have  been  an  erroneous  explanation  of 
the  "  masters." 

Among  the  remainder  of  the  seven  were  doubtless  the  god 
Ek  Chuah,  of  the  cacao  planters,  and  the  god  "  L  "  of  Dr.  Schell- 
has' list.  The  latter  is  found  in  the  Cod.  Dresden.,  pp.  7,  14,  21, 
24,  46;  but  not  at  all  in  the  Troanus.  It  is  evident,  however, 
that,  as  Dr.  Schellhas  observes,  several  minor  black  gods  are 


FIG.    27. — Ek    Ahau,  the 
Black  Captain. 


1  In  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  29*,  et  seq.,  the  black  god  has  a  girdle,  to  which  are  attached  the 
leg  and  claw  of  a  scorpion.     The  name  of  the  large  black  scorpion  in   Maya  is  ek 
chuh,  literally"  the  black  scorcher."     Dr.  Seler  appositely  suggests  that  this  may  be 
a  rebus  for  the  name  of  the  god. 

2  "  En  figura  de  feroz  negro,  como  una  imagen  de  esculptura,  con  los  miembros  de 
hombre.     *     *     *     Fue  gran  guerreador   y   crudelissimo.     *     *     *     Quiere  decir 
negro  principal,  6  Senor  de  los  negros."     Nunez  de  la  Vega  :   Constitudones  Diocesa- 
nas,  p.  9;  Carta  Pastoral,  IX.     (Rome,  1702.) 


68  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

depicted,  which  is  explained  by  the  statement  of  the   Bishop  of 
Chiapas,  that  there  were  seven  of  them.1 

5.   The  Maya  Priesthood. 

Not  all  the  designs  of  the  inscriptions  and  Codices  are  to  be 
considered  deities,  however.  Doubtless  the  priests,  their  repre- 
sentatives, also  appear.  These  were  numerous  and  of  both  sexes, 
called  respectively,  ah-kin  and  ix-kin,  masters  of  days  and  mis- 
tresses of  days,  that  is,  having  power  to  predict  auspicious  and 
inauspicious  days.  The  chief  priest  was  variously  called  ah-kin 
inai  and  ahau  can  tnai,  the  word  mat,  dust,  fragrance,  vapor, 
referring  to  the  sacred  rite  of  blowing  substances  through  a 
tube  in  incantation,  as  we  find  often  represented  in  the  Codices.2 
Ahau  can,  which  at  times  means  "  rattlesnake,"  should  perhaps 
here  be  translated,  "  master  of  words,"  as  another  term  for  the 
high  priest  was  ah-chun  can,  which  is  rendered  "  one  who  has 
the  right  of  the  first  speech  in  business ;  also,  high  priest." 
(Dice.  Motul^ 

They  were  divided  into  a  number  of  classes  exercising  spe- 
cial functions  ;  as  the  ah-mac  ik,  who  conjured  the  winds  ;  the 
ah-uai  chac,  who  could  bring  rains  ;  the  ah-pul,  "  fetchers,"  who 
could  cause  sickness,  induce  sleep,  etc. ;  the  ah-uai  xibalba.,  who 
made  a  specialty  of  interviewing  departed  spirits ;  the  ah-cunal 
than,  who  conjured  by  magical  words  ;  and  others.3 

In  their    rites   they  were   accustomed  to    appear   in    masks, 

1  "  En  muchos  pueblos  de  las  provincias  de  este  obispado  tienen  pintados  en  sus 
Repertories  6  Calendarios  siete  negritos  para  hacer  divinaciones  y  prognosticos  corres- 
pondientes  a  los  siete  dias  de  la  semana,  comenzandola  por  el  viernes  £  contar." 
Nunez  de  la  Vega:  Constituciones  Diocesanas,  p.  9. 

2 1  add  the  following  definitions  :  "  MAI,  polvillo  que  sale  del  tabaco,  etc.,  cuando 
le  tratan  con  las  manos.  MAAY,  espuma  del  palo  que  se  quema.  BOLON  MAYEL,  qual- 
quier  olor  suavissimo  y  transcendente."  Bolon,  nine,  in  the  last  word  is  used  in 
Maya  as  an  expression  of  admiration.  (See  p.  25.)  The  term  is  from  Landa,  Cosas 
de  Yucatan,  c.  "]. 

3  Among  feminine  forms  I  find  ix-bouat,  prophetess  ;  ix-cunal  than,  conjuress. 


PRIESTS    AND    PRIESTESSES. 


69 


koh,  and  dressed  in  skins  of  wild  animals,  as  tigers,  etc.1     Their 
ceremonies  were  often  painful,  as  the  old  writers  report,  and  as 
the  words  to  express  them,  kupy  to  cut, 
ppeta,    to    cry    out    with    pain,   testify. 
This  is  also  abundantly  shown   by  the 
pictures     of    scarifying    the    body  and 
transfixion  of  the  tongue  and  ears,  on 
the  monuments. 

They  are  said  to  have  worn  their 
hair  uncombed  and  long,  often  matted 
with  the  blood  of  the  sacrifices.  The 
expression  for  this  was  hunhun  bnclah 
u  tzotzel  hoi,  (el  que  trae  largos  revueltos 
y  marafiados  los  cabellos  como  los  traen 
los  idolatras.  Dice.  Motul}. 


FIG.  28. — A  Maya  Priestess, 

bearing  the  Moan  Bird. 
(From  the  Dresden  Codex.) 


6.  Fanciful  Analogies. 

It  were  easy  in  these  names,  myths,  and  pictures,  to  pick  out 
abundant  analogies  to  the  mythologies  of  Peru  and  Mexico,  of 
the  Pueblos  and  of  the  Old  World.  It  has  been  done  over  and 
over  again,  usually  with  a  total  oversight  of  the  only  point  in 
which  such  analogies  have  much  value — the  similarity  disclosed 
the  world  over  by  independent  evolutions  of  the  religious  senti- 
ment. The  effort  by  such  resemblances  to  prove  identity  of 
historical  origin  is  to  be  deprecated  whenever  the  natural 
growth  of  myths  and  rites  will  explain  the  facts  considered. 
For  that  reason  I  shall  say  nothing  about  "  Tlaloc  deities,"  "  ser- 
pent gods,"  etc.,  with  which  so  many  pages  of  other  writers 
have  been  fruitlessly  taken  up.  That  the  adjacent  nations  of 
equal  culture  influenced  the  people  of  Yucatan  to  some  extent, 
was  no  doubt  a  fact.  It  could  not  have  been  otherwise.  But 
that  the  Mayan  mythology  and  civilization  were  distinctly  inde- 


1  The  Dice.  Molul  gives:  Ah-kohkeuel,   for  the  wizard   wearing   a  mask   and 
clothed  in  the  skin  of  the  jaguar. 


/O  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

pendent,  and  were  only  superficially  touched  by  their  neighbors, 
I  am  deeply  convinced. 

On  the  other  hand,  just  how  far  the  influence  of  this  potent 
and  personal  culture  of  the  Mayas  extended,  it  is  difficult  to 
delimit.  I  have  found  no  trace  of  its  peculiar  forms  in  South 
America,  nor  anywhere  in  North  America,  beyond  the  bound- 
aries within  which  that  extraordinary  calendar  was  accepted, 
upon  which  so  much  of  it  was  based ;  but  this,  as  I  have  shown 
elsewhere,  included  not  less  than  seven  entirely  different  lin- 
guistic stocks.1  , 

7.   Total  Number  of  Representations. 

The  actual  progress  toward  an  analysis  of  the  pictorial  ele- 
ments of  the  Codices  which  the  above  identifications  indicate, 
may  best  be  shown  by  a  few  statistics. 

I  find  that  the  total  number  of  figures  of  men  and  women,  or 
of  anthropomorphic  deities,  which  are  preserved  in  the  manu- 
scripts, is  just  about  950,  of  which  825  are  males  and  125  are 
females. 

They  are  distributed  as  follows  : — 

Codex  Peresianus,  40  males  no  females 

Codex  Cortesianus,  157      "  6       " 

Codex  Troanus,  345      "  47       " 

Codex  Dresdensis,  283      "  72       " 


825  125 

Confining  our  attention  to  the  male  deities,  the  attributes  of 
which  have  been 'above  described,  we  find  their  pictures  are 
distributed  as  follows: — 2 


1  See  The  Native  Calendar  of  Central  America  and  Mexico,  p.  5. 

2  My  count  does  not  agree  entirely  with  that  of  other  observers  (Fewkes,  Schell- 
has).     I    have   limited   my   identifications   to  such  figures  as  seemed  to  me  beyond 
reasonable  doubt. 


ANALYSIS    OF   THE    PICTURES. 


PERESIANUS. 

CORTESIANUS. 

TROANUS. 

DRESDENSIS. 

Itzamna,    
Cuculcan,      

4 

30 

22 

32 
CA 

I30 
2O 

Kin  Ich,   

4 

2 

8 

22 

Xaman  Ek 

2O 

20 

5" 

The  God  of  Maize 

16 

60 

6 

Ah  Puch 

2 

21 

2C 

2Q 

The  God  of  War,    .    .    . 
The  Black  Gods,     .    .    . 

9 

2 

3 

2 

26 

39 

!3 

4 

Total,  .    .    . 

28 

116 

264 

229 

This  gives  a  total  of  638  figures  which  have  been  recognized; 
in  other  words,  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  whole  number. 

Of  the  remainder  a  considerable  portion  are  unimportant  men 
and  persons,  victims  of  sacrifice,  captives,  attendants,  etc. ; 
others  are  priests  or  officiants  in  ceremonies  ;  allowing  for  which, 
it  is  certain  that  no  prominent  figure  in  Mayan  mythology 
under  the  human  form  remains  to  be  discovered  in  the  Codices. 
This  is  a  satisfactory  result,  and  shows  that,  as  far  as  their  picto- 
graphs  go,  the*  contents  of  these  once  mysterious  volumes  are 
scarcely  an  unsolved  enigma. 

8.  Figures  of  Quadrupeds. 

The  pictorial  portions  of  the  Codices  contain  delineations  of 
various  animals,  some  of  which  are  evidently  introduced  with 
symbolical  meanings,  and  others  probably  so. 

The  dog,  Maya,/^/£,  is  one  of  the  most  conspicuous.  It  is  the 
native  breed,  with  smooth  coat  and  erect  ears.  In  many  in- 
stances it  is  associated  with  the  sign  for  night,  akbal,  and  with 
the  god  of  death  {Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  2,  3,  32,  33);  also  with  the 
storm  and  the  lightning.  For.  that  reason  Dn  Schellhas  and  Dr. 
Seler  regard  him  as  a  symbol  of  lightning.1  But  I  am  persuaded 
that  while  not  disconnected  with  this,  the  dog  represents  pri- 

1  There  may  be  here  an  ikonomatic  allusion,  or  play  oh  words.  The  word  pek,  dog, 
is  close  to  pec,  to  sound,  to  make  a  noise,  which  was  used  for  the  thunder,  as  in  the 
current  phrase pecni  caan,  "the  sky  rang  "  (sono  el  cielo,  Dice.  Motul}. 


72  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

marily  some  star  or  constellation.  At  times  he  is  dotted  with 
spots  to  represent  stars,  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  2 1  ;  the  akbalsign.  refers  to 
the  night.  His  body  is  often  in  human  form,  carrying  a  torch  in 
each  hand,  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  39.  (Compare  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  23*.)  In 
Cod.  Dres.,  p.  40,  he  falls  from  the  sky  ;  and  in  ibid.,  p.  47,  he  is 
slain  by  the  shaft  of  Itzamna.  (Compare  id.  2,  where  Itzamna 
is  sitting  upon  him.)  He  plays  on  the  medicine  drum,  Cod.  Tro.} 
p.  20,  and  is  associated  with  the  rains,  id.  pp.  26,  27.  He  repre- 
sents the  end  and  beginning  of  time-periods,  Cod.  Cort,  p.  32. 

The  spotted  leopard,  the  jaguar,  Maya,  balam,  whose  name 
is  attached  to  the  Chacs,  and  which  appears  in  the  calendar  and 
in  many  of  the  myths  of  the  Mayan  stock,  is  represented  in  a 
number  of  passages  of  the  Codices,  as  Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  8,  26  ;  Cod. 
Tro.,  pp.  17,  20,  21,  22.  In  one  part,  Cod.  Tro.,  14,  he  enters 
dressed  as  a  warrior  with  a  human  body. 

The  monkey,  maaxy  is  not  often  depicted,  but  is  found  with 
astronomic  relations,  Cod.  Tro.,  25*;  his  sign  is  distinguishable 
by  the  markedly  prognathic  jaws.  , 

Deer  are  numerous,  especially  in  the  Cod.  Troanus,  where 
the  pages  9-12  are  occupied  with  a  series  of  pictures  of  the 
animal  in  snares.  On  page  14  a  large  one  is  shown,  sitting  on 
his  rump,  his  organ  erect  and  prominent.  I  have  little  doubt 
these  represent  a  constellation.  In  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  2,  a  composite 
figure  with  deer's  hoofs  appears  three  times,  sailing  through  the 
sky  on  the  serpent's  head.  (Compare  Cod.  Cort.,  p.  14.) 

The  small  edentate,  the  nine-banded  armadillo,  Tatusia  novem- 
cincta,  in  Maya,  ibach,  is  shown  twice  in  the  Cod.  Tro.,  both 
times  caught  under  a  trap,  once,  p.  9,  under  the  wind  sign, 
again,  p.  22*,  under  the  cauac  sign.  What  it  represents  is  un- 
known. 

9.  Figures  of  Birds. 

Birds  had  important  symbolical  functions,  and  a  number  are 
figured  in  the  Codices.  In  their  identification  I  have  had  the 
advantage  of  the  advice  of  Mr.  Witmer  Stone,  who  has  pursued 


THE    BIRD    SYMBOLS.  73 

his    ornithological    studies    in    Yucatan    itself.     The    following 
are  recognizable  : — 

i.  The  red  macaw,  Ara  macao,  Maya,  moo  or  ahlo ;  the  type 
is  shown  in  Fig.  29.     This  was  the  symbol  of  Kin  ich. 


FIG.  29. — Bird  Symbols  from  the  Codices. 

2.  The   horned   or  eared  owl,  a  large   raptorial  bird  of  the 
genus  Bubo,  Maya,  cos}     He  is  usually  shown  in  full  face  to 
display  his  ears  or  horns,  e.g.,  Cod.  Tro.,  18*.     He  appears  as 
an  associate  of  the  gods  of  death  and  war,  and  symbolizes  clouds, 
darkness,  and  inauspicious  events.     His  horns  frequently  appear 
on  the  head-dress  of  Cuculcan  to  indicate  the  departing  sun  and 
night,   like  the  akbal  sign.     (See  Cod.  Tro.,  pp.   19,  29*,  35*.) 
He  is  often  associated  with  the  number  13,  and  may  represent 
in  the  calendar  the  1 3-day  period. 

3.  Two  species  of  vulture,  the  king  vulture,  Vultus  papa,  and 
the  turkey  vulture,  Cathartes  aura,  both  abundant  in  Yucatan, 
Maya,  kuch  and  ahchom.     The  former  is  the  bird  seated  on  the 
"  tree  of  life,"  tearing  out  the  eyes  of  the  victim,  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  3  ; 
Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  15,  17,  or  the  entrails,  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  15,  17.     The 
naked   head  and  neck  of  the  vulture  on  a  human  body  is  seen 
Cod.   Dres.,  pp.  8,   13,  19,  38;  Cod.  Cort,  p.  10,  etc.     His  head 
is   his  monogram,  frequent  in  Cod.  Peres.,  pp.  4,  7,  9,  etc.     (See 
Fig.  29,  No  2.)     Its  body  is  sometimes  black,  at  others  more  or 
less  white. 

4.  The   quetzal   bird,   Trogon   splendens,  is   distinctly   shown 
in  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  16,  above  the  middle  figure. 

1  In  Spanish,  bujarro.     The  Dice.  Motul  says  of  it,  sub  voce,  coz,  "  ave  de  rapina  ; 
coge  gallinas  y  grita  como  muchachos."  9 

6 


74  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

5.  The  crested  falcon,  Spizcetus  tyrannus,  the   moan  bird,  in 
Maya  muan  or  muyan.     This  has  well-developed  tufts  of  erectile 
feathers  on  the  head  and  resembles  in  the  drawings  the  horned 
owl.     It  is  believed   by   Forstemann  to  be  the  symbol  of  the 
Pleiades  ;  by  Seler,  to  be  associated  with  the  clouds  and  rains. 
Both  are  probably  correct.1     (See  Fig.  28.) 

6.  The  pelican  or  cormorant  is  drawn  with  a  human  body  and 
the  "  fish  and  oysters  "  sign  in  Cod.  Cort.,  pp.  20,  21. 

7.  Blackbirds,  of  which  two  species  live  in  Yucatan,  are  por- 
trayed in  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  31. 

8.  The  wild  turkey  is   easily   recognized    by  his    head   and 
"  wattle  "  among  the  food  offerings. 

10.  Figures  of  Reptiles. 

Among  reptilians,  the  turtle  or  tortoise  (Maya,  ac)  is  one  of 
the  most  prominent.  By  Dr.  Schellhas  it  has  also  been  called  a 
Blitzthier,  or  animal  symbolical  of  the  lightning,  basing  his  opin- 
ion especially  on  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  40,  where  a  human  figure  with  a 
tortoise  head  is  seen  holding  a  torch  in  each  hand.  It  is  dis- 
tinctly represented  as  a  celestial  body  in  Cod.  Cort.,  pp.  13,  17, 
37,  and  38 ;  and  when  we  are  informed  that  the  Mayas  called  a 
portion  of  the  constellation  Gemini  by  the  name  "  the  tortoise," 
it  is  quite  clear  that  we  are  dealing  with  an  astronomical,  not  a 
meteorological,  emblem. 

Dr.  Forstemann  has  advanced  the  theory  that  at  least  one 
and  an  important  function  of  the  tortoise  was  as  a  symbol  of 
the  summer  solstice,  in  accordance  with  which  he  explains  Cod. 
Dres.,  p.  40;  and  that  on  the  earth-plane  it  indicated  the  north- 
east and  northwest  directions.  His  arguments  for  this  opinion, 
if  not  conclusive,  certainly  attach  to  it  a  high  probability. 

1  Some  writers  have  thought  that  the  moan  bird  was  a  mythical  animal ;  but  Dr.  C. 
H.  Berendt  found  the  name  still  applied  to  the  falcon.  In  the  form  tmiyan,  it  is 
akin  in  sound  to  muyal,  cloud,  moan,  cloudy ;  which  may  account  for  its  adoption  as 
a  symbol  of  the  rains^  etc. 


FIGURES. OF    ANIMALS.  75 

Between  the  tortoise  and  the  snail  (Maya,  hub  or  ut)  there  is 
in  the  Codices  some  mythical  relation.  In  the  Aztec  symbolism 
the  snail  is  often  an  emblem  of  death  ;  but  also  of  birth.  It  is 
likely  that  the  same  holds  true  of  the  Maya  designs.  The  ani- 
mal is  associated  distinctly  with  the  beneficent  deities,  notably 
with  Itzamna  and  Cuculcan,  Cod.  Dres.,  5  and  37.  But  it  is  also 
visible  in  close  relation  with  the  god  of  death,  Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  9, 
12,  13,  14,  23. 

Regarding  it  as  a  counterpart  of  the  tortoise,  Dr.  Forstemann 
has  given  various  reasons  for  holding  that  it  symbolizes  the 
winter  solstice  and  the  directions  southwest  and  southeast,  and 
thinks  it  probable  that  it  is  found  in  the  hieroglyph  of  the  month 
mol,  which  occurs  about  that  season  of  the  year.1 

The  frog,  Maya,  muck,  uoy  is  a  well-known  symbol  of  water 
and  the  rains.  It  is  shown  falling  from  the  sky  in  Cod.  Cort.,  p. 
17;  and  on  p.  12,  Itzamna,  in  his  character  as  a  rain  god,  appears 
with  the  body  of  one. 

The  scorpion  (Maya,  zinaan)  is  depicted  several  times,  espe- 
cially in  Cod.  Cort,  p.  7,  and  Tro.,  pp.  9,  13,  where  it  is  of  large 
size.  Its  symbolic  sense  is  not  clear.  The  Mayas  applied  the 
term  zinaan  ek,  "  scorpion  stars,"  to  a  certain  constellation,  but 
it  is  possible  they  derived  it  from  the  Spaniards.  Another  pos- 
sibility is  that  the  animal  represents  the  earth-plane.  The  word 
zinaan  is  derived  from  the  radical  zin,  which  means  to  stretch 
out,  to  extend ;  and  the  entire  earth,  as  one  extended  plane,  was 
called  sinil. 

The  rattlesnake  appears  to  be  the  only  serpent  which  is  repre- 
sented as  a  symbol.  It  was  distinctively  called,  both  in  Tzental 
and  Maya,  "  the  Snake  King  "  (Maya,  ahau  can,  Tzental,  aghau 
chan).  Its  rattles  were  termed  tzab,  and  hence  its  name  ahau 
tzab  can,  also  in  use.  According  to  the  Dice.  Motul,  the  natives 
believed  there  were  four  varieties,  corresponding  to  the  four 
sacred  colors,  white,  black,  red,  and  yellow. 

1  Forstemann,  Entziffcrung>  No.  III. 


76 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


It  is  shown  in  the  Codices,  realistically,  biting  a  man's  foot, 
Tro.,  p.  7 ;  astronomically,  in  the  sky  among  the  stars,  Cod. 
Dres.,  p.  43 ;  Cort,  pp.  12,  13 ;  as  the  head-dress  of  the  serpent 
goddess,  already  described ;  as  the  companion  of  Itzamna  and 
Cuculcan,  frequently;  as  the  body  of  Itzamna,  Cod.  Cort,  10,  in 
Cod.  Dres.  and  Cod.  Tro.  It  carries  the  "  constellation  band," 
and  may  generally  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  symbols  of  Time. 


1 1 .   Occupations  and  Ceremonies. 

Among  the  illustrations  are  a  number  which  throw  light  on 
the  habits  and  customs  of  the  ancient  Mayas.  We  see  persons 
engaged  in  spinning  and  weaving,  Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  n*,  16*,  etc., 
Cod.  Dres.,  p.  45  ;  others  making  idols,  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  12*,  Dres., 
p.  6,  etc.  Various  religious  ceremonies  are  pictured,  as  piercing 


FIG.  30. — A  Religious  Function.     (From  the  Dresden  Codex.) 


the  tongue,  Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  16*,  17*  ;  baptizing  children,  which 
was  performed  at  the  age  of  four  years,1  Cod.  Tro.,  20* ;  and  the 


1  Reladon  de  la  Villa  de  Valladolid  (1579),  cap.  14. 


INTERPRETATION    OF    THE    CODICES.  JJ 

important  functions  at  the  end  of  the  years,  depicted  both  in 
Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  20-24,  and  Cod.^Dres.,  pp.  25-28.1 

A  curious  scene  is  that  Fig.*si£  from  the  Dresden  MS.,  p.  35. 

In  the  center,  resting  upon  an  altar  of  three  degrees  sur- 
mounted by  the  sign  caban,  earth,  is  the  head  of  the  god  of  fer- 
tility, his  soul  escaping  from  his  nostril.  Below,  on  each  side 
of  the  altar,  are  two  figures,  one  playing  on  a  flute,  the  second 
on  the  medicine  drum.  Above  are  also  two,  one  shaking  the 
sacred  rattle,  the  second  squatted  before  a  flaming  altar,  in  one 
hand  the  holy  staff,  caluac,  while  the  other  lifts  above  his  head 
the  "  fish  and  oyster  "  sign,  symbol  of  the  products  of  the  sea. 
On  the  right  hand  are  other  offerings,  the  turkey  and  the  dog  ; 
and  below  them  a  ladder,  eb-chey  probably  signifying  the  day  eb, 
on  which  this  ceremony  took  or  should  take  place.  Its  success- 
ful result  is  shown  in  the  picture  which  follows  it  in  the  Codex. 


Those  who  would  follow  Forstemann's  (and  my  own)  views  in 
understanding  the  Codices,  must  accustom  themselves  to  look 
upon  the  animals,  plants,  objects,  and  transactions  they  depict 
as  largely  symbolic,  representing  the  movements  of  the  celestial 
bodies,  the  changes  of  the  seasons,  the  meteorological  varia- 
tions, the  revolutions  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  planets,  and  the 
like;  just  as  in  the  ancient  zodiacs  of  the  Old  World  we  find 
similar  uncouth  animals  and  impossible  collocations  of  images 
presented.  The  great  snakes  which  stretch  across  the  pages  of 
the  Codices  mean  Time  ;  the  torches  in  the  hands  of  figures, 
often  one  downward  and  one  upward,  indicate  the  rising  and  the 
setting  of  constellations ;  the  tortoise  and  the  snail  mark  the 
solstices ;  the  mummied  bodies,  the  disappearance  from  the  sky 
at  certain  seasons  of  certain  stars,  etc.  A  higher,  a  more  preg- 
nant, and,  I  believe,  the  only  correct  meaning  is  thus  awarded  to 
these  strange  memorials. 

1  These  are  described  at  length  by  Landa,  and  their  representations  in  the  Codices 
have  been  explained  by  Thomas  in  his  Manuscript  Troano. 


78  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


IV.  The  Graphic  Elements. 

Having  made  this  satisfactory  progress  in  explaining  the 
numeral  and  the  pictorial  portions  of  the  Codices,  we  are  well 
prepared  to  approach  the  more  difficult  part  of  our  task,  the 
interpretations  of  the  hieroglyphs  themselves. 

Fortunately,  an  even  superficial  inspection  of  the  manuscripts 
shows  us  that  we  are  not  without  material  aids  to  this  end.  It 
is  clear  that  many  of  the  hieroglyphs  are  those  of  the  twenty 
days  and  the  eighteen  months  of  the  Maya  year,  which  are  pre- 
served to  us  in  the  work  of  Bishop  Landa;  others,  again,  by 
their  arrangement,  must  be  connected  with  the  cardinal  points ; 
and  others  suggest,  by  their  appearance  and  disposition,  that  they 
portray  the  celestial  bodies,  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  ;  others  are 
in  the  columns  of  numerals,  and  must  have  numerical  values ; 
and  others  are  so  related  to  the  pictures  that  they  are  plainly  a 
repetition  of  them  in  a  partial  and  conventional  manner,  as  the 
written  characters  for  divinities,  which  are  usually  merely  the 
head  of  the  divinity  more  or  less  cursively  expressed. 

I.   The  Direction  in  which  the  Glyphs  are  to  be  read. 

The  first  step  in  the  decipherment  of  any  inscription  is  to  as- 
certain the  direction  in  which  it  is  to  be  read. 

In  my  earliest  essay  on  this  subject,1  I  stated  that  whatever 
the  prevailing  rule  in  this  respect  might  have  been,  the  native 
artists  had  no  hesitation  in  disregarding  it,  when  artistic  or 
other  reasons  presented  themselves.  This  is  the  conclusion 
which  has  since  been  arrived  at  by  conservative  later  students. 
I  shall  have  numerous  illustrations  of  it  to  offer  in  the  following 
pages.  Most  of  the  diversity  in  this  respect  was  not  capricious, 

1  "  The  Ancient  Phonetic  Alphabet    of   Yucatan,"  in  the  American   Historical 
Magazine ',  for  1870. 


DIRECTION    OF    THE    WRITING.  79 

however,  but  in  accordance  with  rules,  some  of  which  have  been 
ascertained. 

Three  points  in  this  connection  will  immediately  attract  the 
attention  of  the  student.  The  movement  of  the  principal  fig- 
ures in  the  records,  both  manuscript  and  mural,  is  generally 
from  right  to  left ;  the  main  portion  of  the  composite  charac- 
ters are  drawn  on  the  right,  and  the  minor  portions  or  affixes 
are  added  on  the  left ; l  and  in  placing  numerals  on  a  line,  the 
upright  strokes  which  mean  the  fives  are  placed  to  the  right,  and 
the  dots  which  mean  units  less  than  five  are  placed  to  the  left. 
These  facts  look  as  if  the  lines  were  written  from  right  to  left. 
The  general  opinion,  however,  is  that  expressed  by  Pousse  and 
by  Thomas,  that  the  characters  when  arranged  in  lines  are  to 
be  read  from  left  to  right,  and  when  in  columns  from  top  to  bot- 
tom.2 That  this  rule  does  not  hold  good  in  a  number  of  in- 
stances, as  I  shall  show,  need  not  surprise  us,  as  precisely  the 
same  uncertainty  in  the  arrangement  is  found  in  the  Mexican 
picture-writing,  as  Chavero  has  pointed  out,3  and  exists  to-day 
in  the  manuscripts  of  the  Tuaregs  of  the  Sahara.4  Dr.  Forste- 
mann  has  shown  conclusively  that  the  numerical  elements  in 
the  long  computations  to  which  I  have  referred  (above  p.  30) 
are  to  be  read  from  below  upward^and  from  right  to  left.5 

Great  aid  in  settling  this  question  in  any  given  instance  can 
be  obtained  by  a  close  examination  of  the  rubrication  of  the 

1  A  notable  exception  to  this,  commented  o'n  by  de  Rosny,  is  seen  on  pages  18  and 
19  of  the  Codex  Peresianus,      Why  the  rule  should  be  reversed  in  those  sections  is 
still  a  problem. 

2  Study  of  the  MS.  Troano,  Preface,  p.  viii. 

3  Alfredo  Chavero,  Antiguedades  Mexicanas,  p.  xi  (Mexico,  1892).     The  Codex 
Porjirio  Diaz  must  be  read  from  right  to  left. 

4  D.  G.  Brinton,  "  The  Alphabets  of  the  Berbers  "  in  Proceedings  of  the  Orien- 
tal Club  of  Philadelphia,  p.  64  (Philadelphia,  1894). 

5  For  instances,  the  numerals  in  connection  with  the  snakes  in  Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  61- 
64,  and  69-73,  are  to  be  read  from  right  to  left,  and   from  below  upward,  beginning 
at  the  last  page  of  the  series,  and  proceeding  toward  the  left  on   the  extended  sheet. 
Forstemann,  Entzifferung,  No.  II,  1891. 


8o 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


manuscript.  The  native  scribe,  before  he  filled  in  the  glyphs  or 
letters,  divided  his  'sheet  into  small  compartments  by-  faint  red 
lines,  bounding  as  it  were  the  different  sentences  or  paragraphs 
he  intended  to  set  down.  Each  such  sentence  consists  usually 
of  four  or  six  characters,  arranged  either  in  a  column  or  in  a 
square,  the  whole  of  which  may  be  called  a  "  cartouche."  The 
following  diagram  illustrates  the  manner  in  which  the  separate 
glyphs  are  to  be  read  in  ordinary  cases  : — 


a 

a          b 

a          b 

a 

b 

c         d 

C              d 

b 

\ 

picture                .                picture 

c 
d 

Without  the  aid  of  the  rubrics,  from  an  independent  study  of 
the  characters  themselves,  M.  Pousse  demonstrated  that  this 
is  a  necessary  arrangement  of  the  majority  of  the  written  pas- 
sages.1 • 

The  signs  for  the  days  are  usually  placed  in  columns  on  the 
left  of  the  groups  of  hieroglyphic  characters,  the  numeral  be- 
longing to  each  being  inscribed  above  it ;  while  immediately 
below  the  groups  are  numerals  in  black  and  red,  generally  indi- 
cating certain  days.  This  disposition  of  the  elements  of  the 
writing  shows  that  it  was  intended  for  a  "  time-count,"  as  I  have 
before  stated.  For  the  somewhat  voluminous  analysis  of  the 
Codices  in  this  direction,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  works  of 
Forstemann  and  Thomas,  who  have  paid  fruitful  attention  to 
this  department. 


1  In  the  Archives  de  la  Societe  Americaine  de  France,  for  1887,  pp.  27,  28,  113 
etc. 


RULES    FOR   STUDY.  8 1 

2.   Composition  of  the  Glyphs. 

I  have  already  stated,  p.  10,  that  the  main  elements  of  the 
Mayan  hieroglyphic  writing  are  not  numerous.  The  apparent 
complexity  of  many  of  the  glyphs  arises  from  the  combination 
of  a  number  of  frequently  recurring  elements  which  are  placed 
in  different  positions  and  relations,  and  each  of  which  has  many 
variant  forms,  dependent  on  the  degree  of  skill  or  care  of  the 
scribe  or  sculptor,  and  the  material  which  he  used  for  the  record. 

Usually  each  glyph  or  katun  consists  of  one  main  element 
with  a  number  of  others  drawn  in  or  around  it,  which  are  gener- 
ally known  as  "  affixes."  An  element  within  another  is  called 
an  "  infix  ;  "  placed  in  front  of  it,  a  "  prefix  ;  "  behind  it,  a  "  suf- 
fix "  or  "  postfix ; "  above  it,  a  "  superfix ;  "  and  below  it,  a  "  sub- 
fix."  The  same  element  will  often  be  found  first  in  one  and 
then  in  another  of  these  positions ;  and  a  certain  class  of  ele- 
ments are  employed  as  affixes  only.  I  shall  refer  to  the  single 
elements  as  "  simple  characters,"  and  to  the  complex  glyphs  as 
"  composite  characters." 

3.   The  Proper  Method  of  Studying  the  Glyphs. 

The  proper  method  to  adopt  in  studying  composite  characters 
is  first  carefully  to  separate  them  into  the  simple  characters  of 
which  they  are  composed,  noting  the  relative  positions  of  these. 

The  next  step  is  vitally  important  and  often  most  difficult.  It 
is  to  determine  what  visible  objects  these  simple  characters  were 
intended  to  represent.  They  are  often  so  conventionalized  or  so 
negligently  sketched  that  the  most  careful  students  have  reached 
absurdly  different  opinions  as  to  what  they  were  designed  to 
portray.1 

This  identification  accomplished,  the  student  should  proceed  to 

1  In  this  connection  I  would  call  the  especial  attention  of  students  to  the  article  by 
Dr.  Schellhas, "  Vergleichende  Studien  auf  dem  Felde  der  Maya-Alterthumer,"  in  the 
Internationales  Archiv  fur  Ethnographic,  1890.  He  there  illustrates  their  methods 
of  tattooing,  wearing  the  hair,  personal  ornaments,  costumes,  utensils,  etc.,  as  shown 
in  the  Codices  and  other  remains. 


82 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


ascertain  the  name  of  the  object  in  the  Maya  language  ;  because, 
though  it  may  be  employed  as  pure  ideogram  in  one  connection, 
in  another  it  may  be  used  for  its  phonetic  value  according  to  the 
"  ikonomatic,"  or  rebus  method,  as  I  have  above  explained,  and 
instances  of  which  I  give  in  these  pages.  I  do  not  believe  that 
a  further  phonetic  analysis — that  to  the  isolation  of  distinct 
alphabetic  elements — as  has  been  pursued  by  a  number  of 
writers  already  referred  to,  is  justified  by  the  nature  of  the  Maya 
script,  or  will  yield  useful  results. 

4.  An  Analysis  of  Various  Graphic  Elements. 
I  shall  now  proceed,  in  the  manner  above  described,  to  exam- 
ine a  number  of  simple  and  composite  characters,  not  by  any 
means  exhausting  the  stock,  but  rather  merely  offering  sugges- 
tions and  examples  for  future  students.  In  their  application  it 
must  always  be  remembered  that  any  Maya  character  may  be 
employed  in  either  of  three  values :  I,  As  an  ideogram  ;  2,  as  a 
rebus  ;  3,  as  an  astronomical  or  numerical  sign. 


6/2. 


FIG.  31.— The  Hand. 

The  hand  contributes  to  some  of  the  most  numerous  hiero- 
glyphs in  the  Mayan  writing ;  and  the  significant  poses  assigned 
it  in  the  pictures  and  statues  prove  how  expressive  it  was  to  this 
people. 


THE    HAND    SIGNS.  83 

The  forms  presented  Fig.  30  by  no  means  exhaust  its  delinea- 
tions. They  are  drawn  from  gesture-speech  and  each  is  signifi- 
cant. No.  i,  from  the  Cod.  Cort,  is  the  usual  sign  "  to  give  ;  " 
No.  2,  from  the  Cod.  Tro.,  shows  it  in  hasty  writing ;  No.  3  is 
the  hand  closing  ("  la  main  qui  se  ferme,"  Brasseur).  It  is  the 
sign  for  the  day  manik,  and  is  explained  by  Dr.  Seler,  "  to  eat ;  " 
but  I  take  it  to  be  the  rebus  for  mack,  "to  grasp"  ("asir,  tomar  con 
las  manos,"  Die.  Motul).  No.  4,  the  hand  closed,  thumb  down- 
ward (pollice  verso),  has  probably  an  inauspicious  significance 
(very  common,  e.  g.,  Cod.  Per.,  pp.  2,  3,  6,  7) ;  No.  5  is  the 
"  supporting  hand  "  (very  frequent,  usually  in  composition) ;  No. 
6  is  intended  to  show  the  hand,  palm  upward,  forming  a  cup 
(Cod.  Dres.,  p.  40,  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  21), — it  would  signify  "  offering  ;  " 
No.  6y2,  from  the  stelae  of  Copan,  must  mean  union  or  friend- 
ship. The  two  hands  held  as  No.  7  occur  repeatedly  in  Cod. 


Dres.,  pp.  6,  7,  in  the  Tro.  and  Cort.  often  thus,  s*  ""< ,  to  which 


Thomas,  by  means  of  his  "  key,"  assigns  the  wonderful  mean- 
ing, "  a  meat  pie  "  !  Nos.  8  and  9  are  explained  by  Seler  as  the 
supporting  hand ;  No.  10  shows  the  hand  and  arm  pointing  ;  No. 
1 2,  Cod.  Tro.,  30,  3 1 ,  is  the  index  finger  extended  ;  No.  1 1 ,  Cort., 
p.  28,  shows  the  closed  hand  as  a  suffix  to  the  sign  ik.1 

Phonetically  the  hand  is  kab,  which  also  means  "  arm,  finger, 
juice,  sap,  tears  ;  "  and  as  a  rebus  it  could  stand  for  kaba,  name. 

By  some  writers  all  the  signs,  Fig.  32  are  supposed  to 
represent  the  eye.  Nos.  I  and  2  may  also  stand  for  a  tooth,  and 
for  the  small  bells  worn  as  ornaments.  No.  3  has  been  called 
the  "  weeping  eye,"  and  by  Brasseur  "  une  hache ;"  but  I  take  it 

1  On  the  interpretation  of  these  and  allied  signs  the  student  should  consult  Garrick 
Mallery,  Sign  Language  among  the  North  American  Indians,  in  Rep.  of  the  Bureau 
of  Ethnology,  Vol.  I,  and  W.  P.  Clark,  The  Indian  Sign  Language  (Philadelphia, 
1885).  It  is  not  possible  for  me  here  to  give  more  than  the  most  meager  details  on 
this  important  topic. 


84  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

to  be  the  space  within  the  closing  hand  (Figs.  31,  No.  3). 
No.  4  shows  the  eyelashes  of  the  closed  eye,  and  signifies  sleep 
or  death.  No.  5  is  the  "  ornamented  "  or  "  serpent  "  eye,  and, 
according  to  Thomas,  is  the  characteristic  of  a  deity.  Nos.  6 
and  8  are  supposed  by  Seler  to  be  the  eye  torn  out.  They  are 
extremely  common  affixes.  Schellhas  explains  No.  6  as  "  the 
head  and  creeping  foot  of  a  snail."  I  am  persuaded  that  it  is  a 
bird's  wing,  or  the  chief  feather  of  a  wing,  and  means  "  supe- 


1.          2. 

3.              4-. 

©      © 

^    W< 

6. 

7-               8. 

^~\                         fo\ 

©^ 

&         $ 

FIG.  32.- 

-The  Eye  and  Similar  Figures. 

rior,"    "  supremacy,"    or    something   of  that    kind.1     For   that 
reason  it  always  appears  in  the  sign  of  Kin  ich  ahau.     No.  8 
I  regard  also  as  copied  from  a  feather  ornament.2     No.  7,  called 
by  Seler  the  "  bleeding  eye,"  I  take  to  be  a  sign  for  stars. 
In  Maya,  ich,  the  eye,  also  means  "  face  "  and  "  twins." 
The  design,  Fig.  33,  No.  I,  abundant  in  the  Codices  and  on  the 
stone  and  ceramic  remains,  shows  eyes,  but  is  believed  by  Forste- 

1  Bird's  wing  in  Maya  is  xik.     Close  in  sound  is  xikal,  queen  (senora  principal, 
Dice.  Motut}.     The  first  wing  feather  was  also  called  "  a  knife  "  (la  primera  pluma 
de  la  ala  del  halcon  se  llama  "cuchillo  masestre,"  "  u  cicil  u/um."     Dice,  de  San 
Francisco}, 

2  In  the  museum  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  there  is  a  beautiful  vase  from 
Guatemala,  with  a  vitrified  surface ;  on  it  a  face  and  head,  with  a  necklace  entirely 
of  this  sign,  repeated  in  a  pattern. 


EYE   AND    EAR    SIGNS. 


mann  to  represent  the  planet  Venus,  and  to  be  a  variant  of  Fig. 
37,  No.  4.  Seler  thinks  it  an  ornamental  kin  (see  Fig.  36).  It 
is  carved  on  the  great  tortoise  of  Copan,  and  Nos.  2,  3,  and  4 


2, 


3. 


4. 


5. 


y^X^^V 


FIG.  33. — The  "  Spectacles." 

are  from  the  pottery  of  that  city,  on  which  it  is  the  most  common 
glyph  I  have  noted.  In  No.  5,  from  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  57,  it  is 
postfixed  to  a  human  figure  reversed.  Brasseur  explains  it  as 
"the  spectacles  of  Tezcatlipoca,"  and  for  a  name, we  may  call  it 
"the  spectacles  glyph." 


2. 


3. 


FIG.  34.— The  Ear. 

The  human  ear  has  been  represented  by  No.  2,  Fig.  34,  as  has 
been  proved  by  de  Rosny  and  Thomas.  No.  I  (Cod.  Cort.,  p. 
16)  is  either  an  ear  or  an  ear  ornament.  It  is  not  the  ordinary 
ear-ring,  which  is  clearly  shown  in  Figs.  12,  17,  etc.  This  latter  is 
often  used  as  an  affix,  and  has  been  confused  with  the  serpent 
rattle,  and  with  No.  3,  which  is  the  lower  jaw  bone,  cham  or 
catnach.  (See  Cod.  Cort.,  pp.  35,  36,  etc.) 

The  ear  is  xicin,  which  also  means  "  shell."  Ear-rings  are 
tup,  a  word  which  as  a  verb  signifies  "  to  stop  up,  to  cover  over, 
to  extinguish."1 


1  "  Tup  ;  ciertas  arracadas  de  palo  antiguas;  y  llamanse  ahora  las  arracadas  6  zar- 
cillos."  Dice.  Motul. 


86  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

The  group  of  signs,  Fig.  35,  beginning  with  a  person  seated, 
are,  in  the  opinion  of  Seler,  all  derivatives  from  "  man."  Nos.  2, 
3,  and  4  he  calls  "  eyes,"  and  Nos.  5-11  outlines  of  the  mouth, 
jaws^and  face,  with  a  general  value,  "  person."  Other  sugges- 
tions are,  that  the  crescentic  outlines,  Nos.  6,  7,  II,  refer  to  a 
crescent  moon,  or  an  ear  (Schellhas),  or  to  a  serpent's  mouth 
(Allen) ;  while  No.  10  may  be  an  eye  and  eyelashes  (Allen),  a 
comb  (Valentini),  a  claw,  a  feather,  part  of  a  plant,  etc.  It  may 
be  called  the  "  comb  sign."  l 


FIG.  35. — Crescentic  Signs. 

My  belief  is  that  some  of  these  affixes  show  the  necklace  on 
which  beads  and  precious  stones  were  strung.  This  was  called 
u,  wrhich  is  also  the  word  for  moon,  and  in  sound  is  akin  to  nil, 
food.2 

By  the  latter  fact  I  would  explain  the  frequent  appearance  of 

this  sign  C  o  UJJJ  D  d  on  the  neck  of  vases  and  on  haunches 
of  venison  (Cod.  Tro.  22,  etc.).    The  picture  of  a  necklace  shown 


1  In  Maya  a  comb  is  xel.     This  as  a  verb  means  "  to  cut  in  two ;"  and  as  a  numeral 
prefix  it  divides  in  half  unities  less  than  20  ;  as  xel  u  yox  kinbe,  "  two-and-a-half-day 
journeys."     Ikonomatically,   the  comb  sign  may  have  these  significations.     Landa 
gives  it  as  the  sign  for  ca,  perhaps,  as  Valentini  suggests,  for  cac,  to  pull  out  hair. 

2  £7//also  means  anything  favorable  or   advantageous — "  cosa  provechosa,"  Die. 
Motul.     The  word  u  never  means  "  vase,"  as  Prof.  Thomas  has  repeatedly  stated,  fol- 
lowing the  unreliable  Brasseur. 


SUN   AND    MOON   SIGNS.  8/ 

in  the  Lienzo  de  Tlascala,  p.  7,  will  demonstrate  how  close  is 
the  resemblance.  That  in  Landa's  alphabet  (see  above,  p.  15) 
this  sign  is  given  for  u,  confirms  my  supposition. 


FIG.  36.  —  Sun  and  Moon  Signs. 


The  hieroglyphs  of  the  sun,  Fig.  36,  Nos.  rand  2,  cannot  be 
mistaken.  In  the  latter,  the  four  teeth  indicate  the  biting  heat. 
This  design  often  occurs  on  war  shields.  No.  I  is  that  usually 
employed  in  composition.  The  word  for  sun  is  kin,  which  has 
the  further  meanings,  "day,  light,  festival,  time,  news,  to  rule;" 
from  it  are  derived  kinal,  "  heat,  hot  ;"  kinam,  "  strength,  brav- 
ery, power,  poison,  fear,  veneration  ;"  ah-kin,  "  a  priest,"  etc. 
The  kin  sign  usually  indicates  a  beneficent  divinity. 

The  third  sign  in  Fig.  36  is  that  for  moon  (Schellhas).  Dr. 
Seler,  however,  claims  that  it  is  the  symbol  of  "  night,"  and  that 
where  it  means  20  (see  above,  p.  21),  it  is  not  derived  from  uy 
moon,  but  from  uinic,  man.  He  explains  the  figure  as  a  human 
head  with  a  "  bleeding  eye,"  and  bare  teeth. 

In  all  these  points  I  think  he  is  in  error.  Maya  grammar  does 
not  authorize  the  derivation  of  uinal  from  uinic  (in  which  Seler 
follows  Brasseur)  ;  but  it  may  come  from  u,  month,  inn  or  uent 
"  relating  to  a  month."  His  statement  that  the  2O-day  period 
was  not  spoken  of  as  an  uinal,  is  disproved  by  Landa,  who  calls 
it  uinal  hun  ekeh,  "  a  dark  month,"  to  distinguish  it  from  one 
lighted  by  the  moon.  A  close  examination  of  most  of  the 
drawings  will  show  that  the  line  on  which  the  supposed  bare 
teeth  are  shown  is  not  that  of  the  mouth,  but  that  of  the  neck-  . 
lace  above  mentioned,  which  has  the  value  ?/.  Cf.  Fig.  3,  No.  3. 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


No.  i,  Fig.  37,  I  introduce  from  Mexican  pictography;  it  is 
the  sacred  green  jade  jewel,  the  xihuitl,  meaning  "  precious, 
divine."  By  it  I  explain  the  very  common  No.  2,  a  modification 
either  of  it  or  of  the  kin  sign,  constantly  associated  with  deities 
(on  the  hand,  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  21  ;  on  the  leg,  id.,  12  ;  on  the  back, 
id.,  39 ;  and  always  on  the  head-dress  of  the  God  of  Growth). 


2. 


3. 


FIG.  37. — Supposed  Derivatives  of  the  Sun  Sign. 

No.  3  may  be  a  modification  of  the  kin.  It  is  given  in 
Landa's  alphabet,  where  it  stands  for  be,  footprints.  It  may 
also  be  the  stones  of  the  hearth,  and  signify  "  house."  As  a 
"directive  sign,"  it  stands  for  the  point  south,  and  the  color 
yellow ;  and  it  appears  as  an  occasional  variant  of  the  day-signs 
lamat,  muluc,  and  chuen. 

No.  4  is  thought  by  Seler  to  be  merely  an  ornamental  form  of 
the  kin  sign  ;  but  by  Forstemann  is  taken  for  the  monogram  of 
the  planet  Venus,  at  least  in  the  Cod.  Dres.,  where  it  is  very 
frequent  on  pp.  46-50.  It  is  repeated  with  slight  variations  on 
the  Copan  pottery. 


2. 


3, 


4.        5. 


6. 


FIG.  38.— The  Knife  Signs. 

The  flint  knife  was  an  important  implement.     Landa  speaks 
of  the  numerous  large  ones  kept  by  the  priests  for  slaughtering 


THE    KNIFE   SIGNS.  89 

their  victims.1  They  were  called  ta,  and  licit  dzicil ;  in  Tzental, 
chinax,  from  chi,  to  bite.  Fig.  38,  Nos.  I,  2,  and  4,  show  the  usual 
forms  in  which  they  are  drawn,  the  small  squares  at  the  end  being 
the  biting  edges.  No.  3,  surmounted  by  the  "  trinal  "  sign,  refers 
probably  to  lightning.  No.  6  is  a  rare  sign  for  a  dog,  showing 
his  biting  teeth  (Cod.  Tro.,  p.  25).  The  flint  knife  typifies  sacri- 
fice, death,  war,  the  East,  and  fire.  As  a  rebus,  it  could  stand  for 
ta,  excrement ;  tah,  a  dramatic  representation,  etc. 

No.  5  is  a  very  common  affix.  It  has  been  regarded  as  a 
variant  of  the  knife  (Seler,  etc).  But  it  is  too  constantly  distin- 
guished from  it  to  have  this  meaning.  I  consider  it  the  sacred 
bean,  with  which  divination  was  practiced  and  lots  cast.  This 
was  called  bul,  a  word  which,  as  an  affix,  means  "  all,"  the  whole 
of  anything,  as  bulkin,  "  the  whole  day."  This  may  suggest  its 
signification. 

The  curious  objects  in  Fig.  39  were  long  a  puzzle  to  me,  and 
have  not  been  explained  by  previous  writers.  I  believe  them 
to  be  representations  of  the  ~ 

food  products  of  the  sea, 
showing  a  fish  and  two  shell- 
fish. My  reasons  for  this  are 
that  in  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  34,  they 
are  seen  along  with  other 

c       ,      „     -  7         T-  FIG.  39.— The  "Fish  and  Oyster"  Sign. 

food-offerings  (see  Fig.  30) ; 

in  some  places  the  fish  tail  is  unmistakeable  (Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  6, 
7,  36) ;  in  Cod.  Cort.,  pp.  20,  21,  they  are  associated  with  a  fish- 
ing bird, — a  pelican  or  cormorant ;  in  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  50,  the  two 
shells  are  replaced  by  one  conch  shell ;  and  in  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  67, 
a  fish  and  two  shells  are  painted  separately,  to  represent  food 
from  the  sea.  The  two  shells  are  often  seen  in  other  relations,  as 
sprinkled  with  blood  (Cod.  Tro.,  p.  18*),  and  as  an  affix  (see  Fig. 
31,  No.  10).  I  shall  refer  to  this  as  the  "  fish  and  oyster  "  sign. 

1  "  Los  navajones  para  los  sacrificios,  de  los  quales  tenian  buen  recaudo  los  sacer- 
dotes,"  p.  107,  Ed.  Madrid. 
7 


9O  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

Shells  had  a  peculiar  sacredness  in  Maya  symbolism.     The 
robes  of  some  of  the  priests  were  bordered  with  them.1 


FIG.  40.— The  Sacred  Food-Offerings. 

Some  other  sacred  food-offerings  are  shown  in  Fig.  40.  The 
first  is  the  haunch  of  venison  tied  up  (identified  as  such  by  Bras- 
seur);  the  second  is  the  fish,  here  shown  with  a  subfix;  the  third 
is  the  wild  turkey,  represented  by  his  head  in  a  dish.  Another 
is  the  iguana  (see  p.  122,  No.  14) ;  and  a  fifth  is  the  object  shown 
on  p.  122,  No.  12.  It  has  been  explained  as  a  grain  of  corn 
sprouting  from  the  ground,  or  a  mole  emerging  from  its  hole 
(Schellhas).  The  true  explanation  is  that  of  Brasseur,  that  it  por- 
trays the  forequarter  and  head  of  a  food-animal,  tied  up.  He 
does  not  specify  what  animal,  but  in  some  of  the  drawings  I  dis- 
tinctly recognize  the  dog,  with  his  sharp  teeth,  the  species  raised 
by  the  Mayas  to  be  eaten  on  festival  occasions,  as  stated  by  Landa.2 

I  £  3-  4-V  • 


FIG.  41. — The  ben-ik  and  other  Signs. 

Nos.  I  and  2,  Fig.  41,  are  variants  of  an  element  often  occur- 
ring with   a  ben-ik  superfix.     Dr.  Seler,  who  is  apt  to  see  gory 

1  Relation  de  la  Villa  de  Valladolid  (1579),  Chap.  XIV.     I  am  aware  that  some 
variants  of  this  glyph  have  a  striking  resemblance  to  a  penis  flaccidus  cum  testiculis  ; 
but  after  close  comparison   I  have  rejected  this  rendering.     Thomas  sees  in  the  two 
shells  "  tortillas." 

2  Cosas  de  Yucatan,  p.  112  (Ed.  Madrid).     What  looks  like  the  kan  sign  below 
it  is  the  strap  which  fastens  it.        * 


THE   PAX    SIGN.  9! 

human  heads  everywhere,  thinks  it  is  one  carried  in  a  sling  and 
means  "  conquered  in  war." 

Dr.  Forstemann,  with  greater  probability,  considers  that  it 
symbolizes  an  astronomical  event  connected  with  the  motions  of 
the  sun.  (See  the  significant  designs,  Cod.  Tro.,  28*  b.} 

The  ben-ik  sign  referred  to  is  rendered  by  Seler  to  mean  con- 
quest and  destruction  ;  by  Forstemann,  astronomically,  as  the 
lunar  month  of  29  days  ;  in  a  general  sense,  I  would  say, 
"  strength  and  deific  power/'  It  is  a  very  constant  association 
of  the  two  day-signs  so  named,  ben  giving  the  idea  of  motion, 
and  ik  of  life  and  power. 

In  No.  3  is  a  long  worm-like  figure  under  the  ben-ik  sign.  Bras- 
seur  pointed  out  that  it  is  a  variant  of  the  day-sign  men,  and  ex- 
plained it  as  a  caterpillar  (chenille).  Seler  speaks  of  it  as  an 
eagle,  and  as  a  symbol  of  "  mother  earth;  "  Schellhas,  as  perhaps 
the  serpent  goddess.  It  sometimes  is  drawn  to  have  a  fish-like 
appearance  (Cod.  Per.,  p.  7),  and  may  symbolize  the  waters ;  the 
more  so  as  it  has  occasionally  as  a  superfix  the  "  cloud-balls." 

No.  4  is  explained  by  Brasseur  as  the  girdle,  xoc,  around  the 
body  ;  and  I  prefer  this  to  later  suggestions.  A  similar  design 
was  the  tress  of  hair,  kax pol  or  kaaxi,  worn  by  women  (see  Cod. 
Tro.,  p.  27 ;  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  45).  Its  signification  would  seem  to 
be  "  to  tie  together,  to  join,"  or,  as  a  rebus,  "  rain,  to  rain,"  for 
kaxala  (Hover,  y  la  lluvia). 

I-  2.  3. 


FIG.  42. — The  Drum  Signs. 

No  more  prominent  hieroglyph  than  No.  I,  Fig.  42,  can  be 
found  in  the  Mayan  inscriptions,  and  none  which  has  proved 
such  a  stumbling  block  to  interpreters.  Valentini  has  called 


92  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

it  the  picture  of  a  censer  or  brazier;  de  Rosny  thought  it  a 
variant  of  the  ahau  sign  ;  Dr.  Seler  explained  it  as  a  precious 
stone ;  and  Thomas  as  "  a  stone  heap !  "  It  is  the  upper  figure 
in  the  "  Initial  Series"  of  glyphs  at  Palenque,  Copan,  Quirigua, 
etc.  (see  above,  p.  24),  and  recurs  with  but  slight  variations  in 
all  the  Codices. 

I  first  announced  what  it  represents  and  its  signification  at 
the  meeting  of  the  American  Association  for  the  advancement 
of  Science,  August,  iS^.1  It  is  the  picture  of  a  drum,  the 
large  variety,  made  of  the  hollow  trunk  of  a  tree  resting  upon 
short  feet,  the  trunk  being  sawed  across  partly  through  so  as 
to  give  two  vibrating  surfaces,  which  were  often  decorated  with 
cross-hatching.  Such  drums  are  described  by  the  early  Spanish 
writers,  and  one  is  shown  in  the  Atlas  to  Duran's  History.2  Their 
sound  could  be  heard  for  two  leagues,  and  they  were  important 
adjuvants  in  the  services  in  the  temples. 

In  the  hieroglyphics  the  significance  of  this  design  is  pri- 
marily phonetic.  The  name  of  this  particular  kind  of  drum 
was  pax  che,  from  pax,  musical  instrument,  and  che,  wooden  ;  a 
large  one  was  bolon  pax  che,  the  word  bolon,  nine,  being  a  super- 
lative prefix  in  Maya.  Employed  according  to  the  ikonomatic 
method,  this  expressed  the  word  paxan,  a  very  common  term  in 
Maya,  meaning  "  it  is  finished,"  and  applied  to  anything  com- 
pleted, ended,  or  destroyed,  in  a  good  or  bad  sense.3  This  is 

1  Mr.  Marshall  H.  Saville,  in  a  paper  published  in  \ht  Journal  of  American  Folk- 
lore, September,  1894,  and  stated  to  have  been  read  before  the  American  Association 
the  preceding  month,  entitled  "  A  Comparative  Study  of  the  Graven  Glyphs  of  Copan 
and  Quirigua,"  observes  of  the  design  of  \htpaxche  that  it  "  is  probably  a  drum."    No 
expression  to  this  effect  was  in  the  paper  as  read  before  the  Association,  and  in  the 
following  number  of  the  Journal  Mr.  Saville  concedes  that  I  was  the  first  to  offer  this 
identification. 

2  Duran  :  Hist,  de  las  Sn(fias,Tr&t.  I,  Lam.  29;   Trat.  II,  Lam.  6. 

3  I  quote  the   explanation  from  the  Dice,  de  Motul, — "  Paxaan  :  cosa  que  esta 
quebrada,  como  vasija,  cabeza,  barco,  etc.;  cosa  que  esta desparecida;  paaxan  in  cab, 
huido  se  me  han  mis  abejas  ;  paaxan  in  cuchtel,  paaxan  in  cahal,  despoblado  se  me 
ha  el  pueblo,  ido  se  me  ha  mi  gente.     Y  asi  se  puede  decir  de  muchachos,  de  hormi- 


THE    DRUM    SIGNS.  93 

why  in  the  numeral  signs  it  marks  the  end  of  a  series  (see  above, 
p.  22),  and  in  the  so-called  "  Initial  Series"  (which  I  believe  to 
be  terminal),  it  surmounts  and  thus  closes  (reading  from  below 
upward)  the  rows  of  computation  signs.  For  the  same  reason 
it  is  the  support  of  the  figure  representing  the  dying  year  in  the 
ceremonies  at  its  termination  (Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  20-24),  and  is  often 
associated  with  the  deities  of  old  age,  destruction,  and  death. 

Several  other  varieties  of  drums  were  in  use  among  the 
Mayas.  That  shown  Fig.  No.  2,  is  noteworthy.  It  is  the  dzac- 
atan  (Berendt),  or  medicine-drum  (from  dzacah,  to  cure,  to  prac- 
tice medicine).  It  was  used  in  the  sacred  ceremonies  (see  Fig. 
30),  and  Itzamna  is  portrayed  playing  upon  one  (Cod.  Dres.,  p. 
34).  Its  representations  in  the  Codices  are  peculiar,  and  have 
been  entirely  misunderstood  by  previous  writers.  I  show  them 
in  Fig.  43,  Nos.  I,  2,  3.  In  a  more  highly  conventionalized  form 


we  find  them  in  the  Cod.  Troano,  thus  :   If/vM  I'lT^l  which    has 


been  explained  by  Pousse,  Thomas,  and  others,  as  making  fire 
or  as  grinding  paint.  It  is  obviously  the  dzacatan,  what  I  have 
called  the  "  pottery  decoration  "  (see  p.  58)  around  the  figures, 
showing  that  the  body  of  the  drum  was  of  earthenware. 

Fig.  42,  No.  3  shows  the  ordinary  hand  drum,  the  huehuetl  of 
the  Mexicans.  Its  name  in  Maya  is  tunkul,  properly  tankul,  which 
means  either  "before  the  gods,"  or  "  now  one  worships  "  (ahora 
se  adora,  Baeza.)  It  was  either  of  wood  and  was  struck  with  a 
stick  ;  or  of  pottery  with  a  skin  stretched  over  its  mouth,  when 
the  sound  was  produced  by  the  fingers.  Some  were  large  and 
stood  upright,  as  shown  in  Fig.  43. L  Representations  of  these  are 

gas,  humo,  niebla,  nublados,  dolor  de  cabeza,  de  la  voluntad,  etc.,  anadiendose  al 
paaxan  el  nombre  de  la  cosa."  In  a  similar  sense  the  phrases  paaxal  yit  caan, 
"  the  edge  of  the  sky  is  broken,"  paaxal  zt  chun  caan,  "  the  beginning  of  the  sky  is 
broken,"  are  translated,  "  reir  el  alba,  venir  el  dia,  6  amanecer  asi." 

1  In  the  Tzental  dialect  the  drum  entirely  of  wood  was  called  culinte  ;  that  with  a 
skin  stretched  across  it,  cayob.  Lara,  Vocabulario  Tzenlal,  MS. 


94 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


common  in  the  Codices,  and   have  generally  been  mistaken  for 
vases.     (See  Cod.  Cort.,  p.  27.)     Even  Nos.  4  and  5,  Fig.  44,  are 


probably  some  such  musical  instruments. 
12,  30,31-) 


(See  Cod.  Cort.,  pp. 


FIG.  43.— A  Stand- 
ing Drum.  (From 
the  Cortesian  Co- 
dex.) 


2. 


3. 


-fo'\   I;"    N 

Si...ol       V, .-' 

FIG.  44. — Graphic  Delineations  of  Drums. 

2.  3.  A-. 


FIG.  45. — The  yax  and  other  P'eather  Signs. 

Few  glyphs  are  more  frequent  than  No.  I,  Fig.  45,  either 
alone  or  in  such  combinations  as  Nos.  2  and  3.  The  guesses  as 
to  what  it  represents  have  been  singularly  divergent.  Brasseur 
said,  a  kind  of  gourd  ;  Seler,  a  tree ;  Schellhas,  the  zapote  ; 
Rosny  and  Forstemann,  the  phallus,  etc. 

None  of  these  suggestions  seems  to  me  tenable.  I  believe  it 
represents  a  common  feather  decoration  made  of  short  green  or 
blue  feathers,  attached  to  a  style  or  staff.  It  is  frequent  on 
Mexican  and  Maya  figures,  and  in  No.  4,  Fig.  45,  I  copy  one 
from  a  Maya  war  dress.  The  lower  portion  represents  the  or- 
nament to  which  I  allude.  It  was  called  yax  kukul,  and  this 


FEATHER   SIGNS. 


95 


gives  the  phonetic  rebus  value  of  the  sign,  which  is  yax,  green, 
and  (metaphorically)  new,  young,  fresh,  strong,  virile,  etc. 

Care  must  be  taken  not  to  confound  this  with   the  character 
seen  in  the  sign  of  the  dog  (see  p.  70),  which  really  represents 
the  ribs  and  breast-bone,  although  called  a  "  phallus  "  by 
Rosny,   an    "  article  of  food  "    by  Thomas,  a  "  breast- 
plate "  by  Allen,  and  a  "  vertebral  column  "  by  Seler.1 

The  three  feathers  which  surmounted  thej/ax  kukul,  as  shown 
in  No.  4,  Fig.  45,  also  developed  in  the  hieroglyphs  to  an  import- 
ant sign.  It  is  shown  in  Fig.  46,  No.  I,  and  is  the  uppermost  sign 
in  the  "  Initial  glyph  "of  Palenque  (see  p.  137)  and  was  a  mark 
of  eminent  distinction.  (See  Fig.  47,  No.  2.) 

These  three  feathers  indicated  in  Maya  symbolism  the  high- 
est place  and  power.  They  appear  on  the  head  of  the  import- 
ant statue  unearthed  by  Dr.  Le  Plongeon  at  Chichen  Itza, 
which  he  calls  "  Chac  Mool,"  in  the  form  given  Fig.  46,  No. 
2.  Three  was  a  sacred  number  with  the  Mayas,  and  with  this 
in  mind  I  shall  refer  to  it  as  the  "  trinal  "  sign. 

In  Mexican  writing  the  three 
feathers  appear  in  the  ikono- 
matic  sign  for  tecpan,  royal,  in 
the  Lienzo  de  Tlascala,  pp.  56, 
57,  78.  As  feather  in  Maya  is 
kukum,  which  is  allied  in  sound 
to  ku,  god,  kul,  divine,  etc.,  we 
see  what  an  appropriate  rebus 
the  "  trinal  "  makes. 

Rounded  figures,  identified  by  Seler  as  "  feather  balls,"  are 
sometimes  portrayed  above  the  men,  or  "  Mother  Earth  "  sign, 
and  in  other  relations.  See  Cod.  Peres.,  p.  7,  for  a  good  ex- 
ample. • 

1  A  similar  design  is  found  on  Mexican  shields,  e.g.,  Lienzo  de  Tlascala,  plate  12, 
Cod.  Porf.  Diaz.,  lam.  s.  and  on  the  curious  sculptures  at  Monte  Alvan,  Oaxaca, 
figured  in  Captain  Dupaix's  Second  Expedition,  plate  21,  in  Kingsborough's  Mexican 
Antiquities. 


2. 


rn/flin. 

FIG.  46.— The  "  Trinal 
Emblem. 


Feather 


96  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

A  number  of  drawings  in  the  Codices  represent  textile  mate- 
rials —  mats,  cotton  cloth,  wicker-work,  etc.  That  Fig.  47,  No.  I 

is  frequent,  both  as  an  affix  and  as 

•  2  3         Pai"t    °f  costume.     Thomas  calls 

it  a  trellis  or  lattice  work  ;  Seler, 
an  imitation  of  a  snake  skin  ; 
Forstemann,  of  the  shell  of  a  tor- 
toise. In  some  places  it  is  clearly 
a  part  of  a  helmet  made  of  inter- 
FiG.47.-The«  Cross-hatched  "Signs,  laced  and  twisted  cords  attached 

to  a  frame.     (See  Cod.  Tro.,  pp. 

2,  3,  6,  19,  22*,  23*.)1  In  Nos.  2  and  3  it  appears  as  a  written 
character  with  superfixes.  It  forms  part  of  the  sign  of  the  day 
chicchan,  and  is  attached  to  the  sign  of  the  sun  and  of  the 
world. 

This  cross-hatching  I  regard  as  showing  woven  stuff,  or  that 
twisted,  knotted,  and  plaited  ;  and  I  consider  its  value  when  used 
phonetically  to  be  "  strong,  mighty,"  because  the  word  for 
"  strong  "  in  Maya  is  chich,  and  that  for  twisting  and  interlacing 
cords  is  chich-kuch,  —  again  a  simple  rebus.2 

The  designs,  on  p.  129,  are  supposed  by  Seler  and  Thomas  to 
represent  a  house,  the  roof  of  which  is  indicated  by  the  cross- 


hatched  or  plaited  objects,     gPVVV       and    Oa^-r.. 

I  regard  them  as  meaning  a  canopy,  the  practical  and  symbolic 
uses  of  which  article  are  often  referred  to  by  the  early  visitors 
to  these  tribes.3 

1Probably  the  "  morriones  de  madera,"  to  which  early  writers  allude  as  part  of  the 
armor  of  a  Maya  warrior. 

2  "  Torcer  hilo  con  huso;  chich.  kuch.     Hilo  torcido  ;  chichin  bil  kuch"     Dice,  de 
Motul.    Meanings  of  chich,  are  :  "  strong,  swift,  hard,  violent,  "  also  "  grandmother." 

3  Father  Ximenes  speaks  of  the  "  asiento  del  rey  ;  "  "  tenia  un  docel  de  pluma  ; 
sobre  el  guarda  polvo,  tenia  cielos  de   diversos  colores,  tres,  dos,  etc."      Origen  </e 
los  Indios  de  Guatemala,  p.  196.     The  symbol  is  therefore  one  of  power  and  author- 
ity, rather  than  of  a  mere  inanimate  object. 


LINES   AND    DOTS.  97 

In  Fig.  48,  No.  I,  I  give  a  frequent  postfix.  In  the  pictures 
it  portrays  the  wing  of  a  bird,  the  foot  of  an  animal,  the  claw  of 
a  reptile  or  insect,  or  the  tail  of  a  dog  (Cod.  Tro.,  p.  27). 

No.  2  is  the  conventional  sign  for  smoke,  as  may  be  seen  in 
Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  5*,  6*,  etc. 

No.  3  is  called  by  Seler  an  ideogram  for  "  man  "  or  "  person." 


2. 


3. 


4-. 


FIG.  48. — Some  Linear  Signs  and  Dots. 

No.  4  I  introduce  from  the  Mexican  pictography  to  illus- 
trate the  use  of  black  dots.  They  have  many  significations 
which  I  have  not  traced  in  Mayan  Codices,  such  as  seed,  salt, 
ashes,  stars,  sand,  earth,  and  from  the  latter,  place,  region,  world.1 
In  the  sign  for  the  day,  z>,  I  believe  we  see  the  dots  with  the 
signification  xiix,  "  grain-husks."  A  line  or  lines  of  dots 
mean  "  speech  "  or  vocal  sound,  as 
attached  to  the  drum,  Fig.  44,  No.  3  ; 
coming  from  the  mouth  of  a  dog,  Cod. 
Tro.,  p.  20,  singing,  etc.  Some  have 
mistaken  this  for  the  sign  of  death. 
Dots  in  Maya  are  ua  or  ual,  akin  in  sound  to  ?/,  month,  nil,  food, 
and  may  be  allusive  for  these  ideas. 


1  See  Antonio  Penafiel,  Nombres  Geograficos  de  Mexico  ;  Estudio  Jeroglifico,  pas- 
sim (Mexico,  1885).  I  would  especially  recommend  this  easily  obtainable  work. to 
the  student  who  would  familiarize  himself  with  the  method  of  "  ikonomatic"  writing  as 
it  was  used  by  the  ancient  Mexicans.  Another  series  of  admirable  examples  are  in  the 
"  Lienzo  de  Tlascala,"  published  by  the  Junta  Colombina  (Mexico,  1892),  under  the 
editorship  of  the  distinguished  antiquary,  Don  Alfredo  Chavero. 


98  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

The  kan  and  imix  signs  are  often  associated  under  two  super- 
fixes  enclosing  dots,  as  in  Fig.  49,  No.  i.  These  have  been 
interpreted  by  Seler  to  indicate  copal  gum,  or  the  burning  of 
incense.  The  sign  is  associated  with  various  deities,  especially 
those  of  a  beneficent  character. 

The  same  objects,  however,  occur  elsewhere  as  superfixes 
over  various  glyphs,  as  Fig.  49,  No.  2,  where  it  is  not  easy  to 
assign  them  any  such  meaning. 

Modifications  of  Fig. 

~  35O'  No.  I  are  quite  fre- 

quent.    This  sign  has 

Tfaffi)  had    various    explana- 
Jll/       tions,  as  typifying  fire, 
•  --  ^~LK     lightning,  or   wind 


5TL 


(Seler,  Schellhas) ;  but 

I  believe  it  represents 
FIG.  50. — Linear  Prefixes. 

divine  or  magical  power 

exerted  by  blowing.  As  I  have  explained  in  my  Nagualism, 
"  the  act  of  blowing  was  the  essential  feature  in  the  practice  of 
the  '  medicine  men.'  It  symbolized  the  exercise  and  transfer  of 
spiritual  power."  *  Where  the  deity  is  portrayed  with  this  addi- 
tion, he  is  in  the  act  of  exerting  his  divine  influence.  For 
examples,  see  the  "bee  god,"  in  Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  5*  and  10*, 
where  the  head  is  as  in  No.  2  ;  and  the  scorpion,  in  Cod.  Tro., 
p.  2,  precisely  like  one  in  the  Cod.  Porfirio  Diaz,  lam.  I.  At 
times  it  also  conveys  the  idea  of  speech,  or  vocal  sound,  or  that 
from  a  drum,  etc.,  e.  g.,  Fig.  44,  No.  3. 

No.  3  represents  the  usual  mode  of  portraying  the  antennae  of 
scorpions,  insects,  etc.,  of  interest  because  the  word  for  these  in 
Maya,  matzab,  also  means  the  rays  of  the  sun  and  of  light,  and 
the  figure  might  so  be  interpreted. 


1  Nagualism ;  a  Study  in  Native  American  Folk-lore  and  History,  p.  20,  note. 
Sometimes  water  was  used,  when  the  word  in  Maya  is  puhaa,  "to  blow  water,"  and 
is  translated  in  the  dictionaries,  "  rociar  con  la  boca." 


CURVILINEAR    SIGNS. 


99 


Dr.  Forstemann  believes  that  the  circle  of  dots,  as  in  the 
lower  portion  of  No.  2,  means  "  movement  or  precession ;"  as  in 
Cod.  Dres.,  p.  68.  The  CO  sign  is  so  surrounded,  indicating 
the  junction  of  two  time-periods;  or,  as  others  would  say,  the 
crooked  lightning  darting  from  the  sky. 


2  . 


o  Oo 


FIG.  51.— The  "Cloud-Balls"  and  the  "Cork-screw  Curl." 


In  Fig.  51,  Nos.  I  and  2,  copied  from  the  great  tortoise  of 
Copan,  show  the  rain-clouds  as  conceived  by  the  native  artist. 
In  the  Codices  they  are  seen  in  the  day-sign  cauac;  and 
elsewhere.  An  almost  identical  conception  appears  in  the 
pictography  of  the  northern  tribes.1  Seler  speaks  of  them  as 
Wolkenballen,  "  cloud-balls,"  an  appropriate  name  for  the  ele- 
ment. 

No.  3  has  been  explained  by  Thomas  and  Seler  as  the  por- 
trayal of  trickling  fluid  ;  or,  again,  by  the  latter,  as  a  "  nose 
ornament."  Dr.  Schellhas  first  saw  its  real  intention.  It  is  a 
picture  of  a  twisted  lock  of  hair,  or  "  cork-screw  curl,"  worn  by 


ffTTTT 


FIG.  52. — Symbols  for  the  Earth. 

the  Maya  women.     It  appears  in  the  monograms  of  various  god- 
desses.    Ideographically  it  has  two  meanings,  one,  woman  or 

1  Mallery  :  Picture  Writing  of  the  American  Indians,  p.  700.  The  double  curves 
that  we  see  on  the  snake,  Cod.  Cort.,  p.  15,  etc.,  I  construe  as  the  sign  of  the  sky. 
The  expression  in  Maya  was  u  nak  caan,  "la  boveda  del  cielo;"  literally,  the 
"belly  "  of  the  sky. 


100 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


female ;  the  other,  down  or  downward ;  either  from  its  name 
(which  we  do  not  know),  or  because  it  hangs  downward.  In  the 
latter  sense,  it  is  in  the  hieroglyph  of  the  Earth,  as  that  which  is 
down  or  below  us,  Fig.  52  ;  although,  as  the  Earth  is  the  feminine 
principle  in  nature, — Mother  Earth, — I  would  suggest  that  this 
is  the  intimation  conveyed  by  the  sign. 


3., 


4, 


FIG.  53. — Signs  for  Union. 

No.  I,  Fig.  53,  occurs  with  great  frequency.  Allen  explains 
it  as  "  the  radical  of  the  mouth,"  others  as  "  falling  water,"  etc., 
but  I  accept  without  hesitation  Brasseur's  identification  of  it  as 
the  side  view  of  the  joint  of  a  reed  or  maize  stalk,  with  the 
meaning  "  union."  In  the  writing  it  is  probably  among  other 
things  the  conjunctive  conjunction,  yetal,  "  and,"  which  explains 
its  frequency.  It  is  common  in  the  form  No.  2,  in  the  Vienna 
Codex,  signifying  the  union  of  day  series  (pp.  58,  61,  64,  etc.) ; 
it  may  imply  sexual  union,  as  in  the  "  Tableau  des  Bacabs  "  (see 
above,  p.  50.) 


FIG.  54. — The  Knotted  Head  Dress. 

Other  signs  for  union  are  No.  3,  which  is  a  knotted  head-dress, 
common  on  males,  and  No.  4,  from  the  Cod.  Troano,  p.  5,  which 


THE   TREE    OF    LIFE.  IOI 


perhaps  indicates  the  union  of  two  month  periods,  or  the  new  and 
old  moons,  in  relation.  The  middle  design  between  the  two 
crescents  is  frequent  as  an  affix  (e.g.,  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  7,  etc.). 


2. 


FIG.  55. — The  "Tree  of  Life." 

I  have  already  hinted  at  the  significance  of  the  "tree  of  life" 
in  Mayan  mythology.  It  is  shown  in  the  Codices  under  two 
forms,  Fig.  55,  Nos.  I  and  2.  In  the  former  it  seems  to  be 
growing  from  a  bottle-shaped  vase.  The  leaves  (omitted  in  this 
instance)  are  well  shown  in  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  17*.  They  are  cordate 
and  pendent. 

No.  2  is  taken  from  the  Cod.  Peres.,  p.  3 ;  it  beautifully  shows 
the  sacred  tree,  here  distinctly  anthropomorphic,1  in  the  vase 
of  the  heavenly  waters,  lifting  its  fourfold  branches.  In  the 
original,  the  god  of  the  north  star  is  resting  upon  them.  Usually 
the  tree  is  associated  with  Itzamna.  Both  forms  are  frequent  in 
the  Mexican  manuscripts,  and  the  myths  relating  to  them  have 
been  subjects  of  study  by  various  writers.2 


1  The  transformation  of  the  human  into  the  arboreal  form  and  its  opposite  are  fre- 
quently referred  to  in  the  myths  and  pictography  of  the  red  race.     Some  interesting 
observations  upon  this  point,  by  the  R'ev.  S.  D.  Peet,  may  be  found  in  the  American 
Antiquarian,  for  September,  1894. 

2  See  the  Codex  Borgia,  plates  8,  16,  17,  18,  19;  Cod.  Vaticanus,  plate  65  ;  Cod. 
Colomb.,  Lam.  5,  17;  Cod.  Vienna,  pp.  18,  37,  etc.  ;  and  consult  Pousse  in  Arch,  de 
la  Soc.  Amer.,  1887,  p.  102;  Schellhas,  Zeitschrift  fur  Ethnologic,  1886,  p.  53.  . 


IO2  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

Forms  like  Nos.  I  and  2,  Fig.  56,  and  perhaps  No.  3,  are  usually 
taken  to  represent  a  chopper  or  machete.  The  representation  of 
this  weapon  or  implement  is  seen  in  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  17,  where 

I.  2.  3. 


FIG.  56.— The  "Machete"  and  Similar  Signs. 

a  man  is  killing  a  snake  with  one.  In  the  conventional  and 
negligent  manner  in  which  these  characters  are  often  written,  it 
is  not  easy  to  distinguish  them  from  others  of  different  origin 
and  meaning.  Nos.  2  and  3  may  be  feather  signs.  Seler  explains 
the  machete  as  the  symbol  of  striking  or*  wounding  ("  Ausdruck 
des  Schlagens"). 

I.  2.  3.  4-. 


o 

FIG.  57. — Supposed  Bird  Signs. 

Characters  like  the  above  recur  in  all  the  forms  of  writing. 
No.  I  has  been  called  by  Seler  the  representation  of  "  man," 
but  this  is  doubtful.  It  may  be  a  variant  of  No.  2,  which  is  a 
"  closing  hand  "  from  Fig.  31,  No.  3.  Nos.  3  and  4,  from  Copan 
and  Guatemalan  pottery,  follow  closely  the  Codices.  With  a 
"  comb  affix,"  Forstemann  calls  No.  4  "  a  well-known  form  of 
moan"  meaning  the  Pleiades  (Entziff.  IV) ;  while  Dr.  Seler 
explains  it  as  an  owl  symbol.  The  design  enclosed  is  held  to 
depict  the  bill  of  a  bird. 

The  "  Crotalean  curve,"  the  outline  of  the  jaws  of  the  rattle- 
snake, Crotalus  horridus,  has  been  dwelt  upon  with  emphasis  by 
Allen  and  Maudslay  as  one  of  the  most  notable  emblems  in 


CURIOUS   CURVES. 


103 


Maya  art.1  Fig.  58,  Nos.  I,  2,  3,  4,  show  some  of  its  forms  in 
the  Codices,  and  No.  5,  from  Stephens,  illustrates  its  radical. 
As  a  graphic  element,  it  is  less  prominent  than  in  architecture. 


2. 


5. 


FIG.  58.— The  «  Crotalean  Curve." 

Fig.  59,  Nos.   1-4,  are  outlines  of  objects  often  seen  in  the 
Codices.     No.  I,  which  looks  like  a  carriage-wrench,  is  in  fact  a 


2. 


3. 


4-. 


FIG.  59. — Objects  Heldjn  the  Hand. 

serpent  wand,  as   can  readily  be  seen  by  comparing  Cod.  Tro., 
pp.  6,  7,  31*,  with  Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  40,  42,  43. 


1  Dr.  Harrison  Allen  :  An  Analysis  of  the  Life  Form  in  Art,  p.  37  (Philadelphia, 
1875) ;  A.  P.  Maudslay  :   Biol.  Cent.  Amer.  Archeology,  Part  II,  plate  23,  etc. 


JO4  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

No.  2  is  the  "  medicine  rattle."  Sometimes  it  was  a  gourd, 
at  others  of  earthenware,  as  we  see  by  the  "  pottery  decoration  " 
in  Cod.  Tro.,  34,  35,  etc.  Sometimes  it  looks  like  a  fan  or  a 
mirror.1 

No.  3  is  the  hatchet,  and  No.  4  the  chisel.  The  peculiar 
shape  and  mode  of  use  of  the  latter  are  seen  Cod.  Tro.,  34,  etc. 
Both  of  these  implements  were  made  of  metal  obtained  from 
Tabasco,  and  Landa  especially  says  that  the  latter  was  that 
with  which  they  carved  their  idols,  exactly  as  we  see  in  the 
MSS.2 

The  word  for  the  tomahawk  in  Maya  was  bat ;  and  from  the 
same  root  come  batul,  "  to  fight ;  "  batab,  "  a  chief;  "  batan,  "  first 
or  in  front  of;  "  bat,  "  hail ;  "  for  any  of  which  ideas  the  weapon 
might  be  a  symbol  or  a  rebus.  It  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in 
the  texts.  One  of  its  uses,  I  am  persuaded,  was  to  indicate  a 
thunderbolt  or  stroke  of  lightning.  The  name  for  this  in  Maya 
was  u  the  blow  of  the  cloud,"  3  and  in  the  group  of  the  moan 
sign  and  the  tomahawk  we  have  this  well  expressed. 

The  first  design  in  Fig.  60  shows  the  aspersorium,  lilabal, 
with  which  the  high  priest  sprinkled  the  holy  water  (which  was 
the  dew  collected  in  the  early  morning)  during  the  ceremonies. 
To  it  were  attached  the  rattles  of  the  rattlesnake  and  tails  of 


1  Mr.  E.  P.  Diesel dorff,  in  a  description  of  a  very  beautiful  decorated  vase  from  the 
vale  of  Cham  a,  Guatemala,  says  that  fans  were  noi  in  use  among  the  natives,  and  that 
the  object  in  the  paintings  usually  identified  as  such  is  a  "  soplador,"  or  fire-blower, 
made  of  woven  palm  leaves,  and  still  found  in  every  house.      Verhand.  der  Berliner 
Anthrop.  Gesell.,  1894,  p.  374. 

2  "  Tenian  cierto  azofar  blando  y  con  alguna  poca  mezcla  de  oro,  de  que  hazian  las 
hachuelas  de  fundicion  y  unos  cascabelejos  con  que  vaylavan  y  una  cierta  nianera  de 
escoplillos  con  que  hazian  los  idolos."     ftelacion  de  Yucatan,  p.  107.     (Madrid  edi- 
tion.) 

3  U  hadz  muyal,  literally,  "  its  blow,  the  cloud."     Another  figure  which  seems  to 
indicate  the  same  is  the  broad,  pointed  object  seen  in  the  hands  of  deities.     Cod. 
Cort.,  p.  28;  Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  29,  30,  38,  39.     It  is  the  same  as  the  Nahuatl  tlauite- 
quiliztli,  portrayed  in  the  hands  of  Tlaloc,  in  plate  70,  of  Boban's   Catalogue  Rai- 
sonneof  the  Goupil  collection. 


VARIOUS   OBJECTS. 


105 


poisonous  serpents.1     It  is   often  portrayed  in  the  Codices  and 
inscriptions. 

The  second  design  is  the  throwing-stick,  in  Nahuatl,  atlatL 
The  admirable  monograph  of  Mrs.  Zelia  Nuttall  explains  its  im- 
portant symbolic  uses.2  Examples  where  it  is  well  portrayed 
are :  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  60,  65  ;  Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  21*  and  22*. 


! 

FIG.  60. — The  Aspersorium,  the  Atlatl,  and  the  Mimosa. 

The  third  design  in  Fig.  60  is  what  Seler  calls  a  broom  (Span- 
ish, escobilla,  Nahuatl,  mallinalli^}  and  Schellhas,  a  feather.  But 
that  it  is,  as  Brasseur  said,  a  mimosa,  seems  clear  from  Cod. 
Tro.,  p.  29,  where  it  is  shown  growing.  In  id.,  p.  32*°,  where  it 
is  above  the  turtle,  it  has  an  astronomic  significance. 

Other  objects  sometimes  depicted  are  fans,  ual  or  picit;  mir- 
rors, nen  ;  shields,  chimal ;  and  planting  sticks,  xul. 

The  designs  shown  in  Fig.  61  recur  in  all  the  Codices,  and  I 
agree  with  Dr.  Forstemann  that  they  must  refer  to  the  celestial 
bodies  and  their  relative  motions  (contrary  to  the  view  of  Dr. 
Seler).  That  they  have  not  all  been  identified  is  perhaps  because 
none  of  the  students  of  the  subject  has  been  astronomer  enough 
to  understand  the  lessons  they  convey. 

A  few  we  are  certain  about.  No.  I  is  the  sun,  No.  2  the 
moon ;  No.  13  must  be  "  the  rope  of  the  moon  "  (see  above  p.  36) 

1  The  name  is  from  lil,  to  sprinkle,  haa,  water,  and  bat,  the  instrumental  termina- 
tion.   The  Relacion  de  la  Villa  de  Valladolid,  1579,  cap.  xiv,  says  :  "  el  ahkin  llevaba 
un  hisopo,  atado  en  el  muchas  colas  de  vibora  y  culebras  ponzonosas." 

2  The  Atlatl  or   Spear    Thrower  of  the   Ancient   Mexicans.     By  Zelia  Nuttall 
(Cambridge,  Mass.,  1891). 


io6 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


indicating  its  conjunction;1  No.  12,  from  the  Cod.  Peres.,  might 
reasonably  indicate  its  opposition;  No.  14  is  the  pole  star, 
occurring  in  Cod.  Tro.,  pp.  20,  22,  23.  Dr.  Forstemann  has 
offered  certain  reasons,  reaching  a  moderate  probability,  that 
Nos.  3  and  4  symbolize  the  planet  Mercury ;  Nos.  5  and  6  the 
planet  Venus  ;  No.  7,  Jupiter ;  No.  8,  Mars ;  and  No.  1 1,  Saturn  ; 
No.  15  I  have  seen  only  on  the  casts  from  Sastanquiqui,  Peten, 
at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


2. 


3. 


L       " 

i  —  -^  1 

O-.             ,.-O 

p      o      z 

O^ 

.••''  \  \  *"•••. 

FIG.  61.— The  «  Constellation  Band." 

These  designs  are  arranged  in  rows  of  three  or  more,  forming 
ribbons  or  bands,  and  therefore  I  shall  refer  to  the  series  as 
"  the  constellation  band."  Some  members  of  it  usually  are 
placed  above  the  representation  of  the  sun  and  moon  (day  and 
night),  frequent  in  the  Codices  and  represented  in  Fig.  62. 


1  See  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  50.  Precisely  the  same  design  recurs  in  the  (Mexican)  Codex 
Borgia,  published  in  Kingsborough's  Mexican  Antiquities.  No.  n  is  also  a  Mexican 
calendar  sign  (Gama). 


CELESTIAL   SYMBOLS. 


107 


This  has  been  called  "  the  heavenly  shield,"  a  designation  I 
shall  retain.  Its  signification  was  first  explained  by  Schellhas. 
The  orbs  are  suspended  from  the  "  constellation  band  "  by  curi- 


FIG.  62.— The  "  Heavenly  Shield." 


ous  bearings,  which  seem  to  be  developments  from  a  form  very 
common  in  the  Mexican  MSS.,  ancl  which  is  shown  in  Fig.  63, 
No.  I,  which,  however,  I  have  copied  from  a  potsherd  brought 
from  Copan.  Figs.  Nos.  2  and  3,  from  the  same  source,  also 
seem  of  astronomical  intent,  though  No.  3  may  be  a  variant  of 
the  ik  (comp.  Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  56,  57). 


I  . 


2. 


3. 


FIG.  63. — Designs  from  Copan  Potsherds. 

After  considerable  discussion  the  signs  for  the  cardinal  points 
have  been  definitely  determined  to  be  as  in  Fig.  64,  reading  from 
left  to  right,  East,  North,West,  South.  The  East  sign  is  composed 
of  the  kin  (sun)  sign  with  the  a/iauas  a  superfix  and  the  "  claw  " 
postfix;  the  North  has  the  north  star  god's  monogram  with  the 
lunar  prefix ;  the  West  the  kin  sign  with  the  mack  as  a  superfix 


io8 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


(see  p.  83)  and  the  "  claw  "  postfix ;  the  South  has  the  yax  with 
the  mac  superfix  and  sometimes  an  augment.  Space  will 
not  permit  a  further  analysis  of  these  important  composites,  but 


FIG.  64. — The  Signs  for  the  Cardinal  Points. 


each  is  highly  significant.  These  signs  never  occur  isolated, 
but  always  together;  where  one  is  found,  the*  others  may  confi- 
dently be  looked  for. 

Another  series  of  signs  are  intimately  associated  with  these. 
They  are  shown  Fig.  65,  and  read  from  left  to  right,, South,  East, 
North,  West. 


FIG.  65.— The  "  Directive  Signs." 


The  precise  purpose  of  these  has  remained  obscure.  Dr. 
Seler  has  suggested  that  they  indicate  the  colors  which  were  as- 
signed to  the  four  directions.  This  is  true  as  far  as  it  goes,  but 
does  not  explain  many  of  their  uses.  My  own  studies  have  led  me 
to  believe  they  are  primarily  "  directive  signs,"  intended  to  guide 
the  learner  in  the  use  of  the  calendar  wheel.  This  was  somewhat 
intricate,  made  by  the  superposition  of  two  surfaces,  the  lower 
marked  with  the  cardinal  points,  etc.,  the  upper,  I  take  it,  with 
these  directive  signs.  That  any  quarter  in  the  native  astrology 
could  be  transferred  into  any  other,  explains  why  they  'are  all 


THE    DIRECTIVE    SIGNS.  IOO, 

found  with  all  the  signs  of  the  cardinal  points.1     My  view  is 
borne  out  by  the  Books  of   Chilan  Balam.     In  this  work  the 
rotation  of  the  time-periods  is  called  cuceb, 
"the    squirrel,"    and     their     beginning    is 
marked  with  the  Fig.  66.     This  is  identical 
with  several  variants  of  the  North  "  directive 
sign  "  above ;  and  the  reason  it  was  called  , 
cuceb   was  that  the  verb  cucul  means  "  to 

move  round  and  round  "  as  they  did  their  T 

J  FIG.  66. — The  "Cuceb." 

calendar  wheels.   . 

These  four  directive  signs  occur  repeatedly  as  affixes.  They 
may  be  read,  (i)  ideographically  :  either  as  directions,  south, 
east,  north,  west ;  or  for  colors,  yellow,  red,  white,  black  ;  or,  (2) 
ikonomatically  :  for  the  homonyms  of  the  names  of  these  colors, 
that  is,  for  the  other  meanings  of  the  color  names.  These  are 
numerous.  Thus,  kan,  yellow,  also  means  "jewels,  money,  food, 
abundance,  a  rope,  a  hamac ;  "  chac,  red,  may  also  signify 
"strong,  water,  rain,  the  rain  god,  a  tempest;"  zac,  white,  is 
also  an  intensive  particle,  "  much,  very,"  and  is  close  to  zacal,  to 
'weave,  a  web,  and  zacan,  bread;  while  ek,  black,  may  also  be 
translated  "  dark,  darkness,  a  star,  dyewood,  the  fat  of  meat." 
The  sign  for  the  East,  the  flint  knife,  may  as  such  have  the 
values  assigned  above  to  that  object  (see  p.  89).  This,  however, 
does  not  make  the  method  so  complicated  as  one  may  think,  for 
in  all  rebus-writing  we  find  the  ordinary  signs  employed  are 
limited  to  a  few  recognized  meanings. 

5.   The  Hieroglyphs  of  the  Days. 

In  my  work  on  "  The  Native  Calendar  of  Central  America  " 
I  pointed  out  that  the  hieroglyphs  of  the  names  of  the  days  are 
to  be  looked  upon  as  rebuses,  and  therefore  do  not  tell  us  the 

1  I  hesitated  some  time  to  assign  the  flint  knife  to  the  East,  but  believe  the  evidence 
is  in  its  favor.  As  Chavero  has  pointed  out  {Antiguedades  Mexicanas,  p.  xxxv),  in 
Mexican  symbolism,  the  tecpatl  belongs  decidedly  to  the  West. 


IIO  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

real  meaning  of  the  name  given  the  day.  They  are  merely  the 
pictures  of  some  familiar  visible  object  or  objects,  the  name  of 
which  has  more  or  less  similarity  to  the  name  of  the  day,  and 
would  serve  by  an  ocular  representation  to  recall  it  to  mind.  To 
repeat  what  I  there  said  on  this  essential  point :  "  It  is  quite 
misleading  to  seek  the  real  meaning  or  derivation  of  a  day-name 
or  other  word  from  the  figure  which  represents  it  in  the  hiero- 
glyphic writing.  The  latter  usually  stands  for  a  word  of  an  en- 
tirely different  meaning,  the  only  connection  being  a  more  or 
less  similarity  of  sound."  ] 

It  should  be  remembered,  therefore,  that  some  of  these  hiero- 
glyphics of  the  day-names  recur  as  independent  characters  with 
other  than  calendar  significations. 


i.  Kan.  The  object  represented  is  a  polished  stone,  shell  pen- 
dant, or  bead,  in  Maya,  kan.  It  was  their  circulating  medium, 
and  it  stands  for  money,  and  all  which  that  magic  word  conveys, 
— food,  prosperity,  abundance.2  The  dot  or  eye  in  the  upper 
portion  is  the  perforation  by  which  it  was  strung  on  a  "cord. 
Others  explain  it  as  an  eye  (Seler) ;  a  tooth  (Brasseur) ;  a  grain 
of  maize  (Schellhas). 

1  The   Native   Calendar  of  Mexico  and  Central  America,  p.  4   (Philadelphia, 
1893). 

2  "  Kan  :  cuzcas    6   piedras  que  Servian  a  los  indios  de   moneda  y  de  adorno  al 
cuello."     Dice,  de  Motul.     I  owe  this  identification   to  my  late  friend,  Dr.   C.  H. 
Berendt,  a  profound  Maya  scholar.     Its  correctness  will  be   confirmed  by  examining 
Cod.  Cort.,  p.  12,  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  48,  etc.     This  circulating  medium  of  the  Mayas  is 
mentioned  in  the   Relacion  de  Valladolid,  1579,  cap.  33.     In  purchasing  a  wife  the 
expression  was  ah  coy  kan,  "  he  who  must  pay  kans"  as  these  were  the  considera- 
tion.    (Dice.  Motul .)     Other  meanings  of  kan  are  :  yellow,  and  hence  ripe  fruit,  the 
yolk  of  an   egg,  cooked  maize,  etc. ;    anything  precious  or  valuable ;    a  measure   oi 
length ;  a  set  task  ;    a  net,  and  to  fish  or  hunt  with  one. 


THE    DAY    SIGNS.  I  I  I 

2.   Chicchan,     The  allusive  design  to  suggest  the  name  is  sup- 


plied  by  the  twisted    threads  chick  kuch.       See  above,   p.  96. 
Brasseur  sees  in  it  a  petticoat,  Seler  a  serpent's  skin,  etc. 


3.   Cimi.     Represented  either  by  an   eye  closed  as  in  death, 
cimil ;  or  by  the  maggot  (see  above  p.  65). 


4.  Manik.  Correctly  explained  by  Brasseur  as  a  hand  in  the 
act  of  grasping,  "  une  main  qui  se  ferme."  Its  phonetic  value  is 
not  kab,  hand,  but  mach,  "  to  grasp  "  (see  above  p.  83). 


5. '  Lamat.  The  figures  bear  a  close  resemblance  to  some  of 
the  sun  signs.  See  Fig.  37.  They  seem  to  show  the  orb  partly 
below  a  line — the  horizon — which  would  give  as  a  rebus  lamal 
kin,  the  sunsetting ;  enough  to  recall  the  day  name. 


6.  Muluc.     The  day  sign  muluc  and  the  month  sign  mol  have  a 
resemblance,  as  do  the  words.     The   root  mol  or  mul  means  a 


112 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


coming  together,  or  piling  up.  The  hurricane  is  called  molay 
ik,  "the  winds  united; "  the  word  for  religion  is  umolay,  liter- 
ally, "  a  congregation  or  meeting."  Both  signs  seem  to  portray 
one  thing  inside  of  another  of  the  same  kind,  with  a  probable 
reference  to  the  sense  of  the  root. 


7.  Oc.  Among  its  various  meanings  this  word  signifies  "  a 
trail"  and  "footprints."  Such  seems  the  design  in  the  first 
variant.  Brasseur,  and,  following  him,  Seler,  think  that  the 

others  portray  the  ears  of  a  dog,  as  in 

(/§!rtn(§§\  *  f~JL^^     some   Mayan  dialects  the  dog  is  called 
fc^JJ^JVSTTC*     oc.  The  full  glyph  is  thus: 

It  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in  such  a 
cartouche  as  shown  in  Fig.  67,  where  a 
is  the  strengthened  pax.  (See  p.  92), 
b,  the  dog  sign ;  c,  the  haunch  of  veni- 
son ;  and  d,  the  monogram  of  Xmucane 
with  a  vigesimal  or  personal  prefix. 


FIG.  67. — A  Cartouche. 


8.  Chuen.  The  figure  is  that  of  a  mouth,  chi,  with  fangs  ;  but 
as  that  was  not  very  near  in  sound,  a  calabash,  chu,  is  sometimes 
portrayed  at  the  bottom  of  the  circle,  within.  The  mouth  of  no 
particular  animal  is  intended,  as  is  evident  from  allied  designs  ; 
though  Brasseur  and  Seler  claim  that  it  is  of  a  monkey,  Schell- 
has,  of  a  snake,  etc.  The  day  name  is  close  in  sound  to  chun, 
the  first,  the  beginning,  and  appears  occasionally  as  a  numeral 
(see  above,  p.  23).  Piles  of  chuen  are  shown  as  offerings,  e.g., 


THE    DAY   SIGNS.  113 

Cod.   Dres.,  pp.  26,  42  ;   Cod.  Cort,  p.  3.     Do  they  mean  "  first 

fruits?>"  ,    /,  „ 

i  *  >*, 


9.  Eb.  The  face  of  an  old  man  with  a  peculiar  pointed  ear 
mark.  The  word  eb  means  "ladder;  "  ebtun,  a  stone  stairway; 
ebzah,  to  sharpen  or  point  a  flint ;  this  last  may  explain  the 
sharpened  ear  and  dots. 


10.  Ben,  or  Been.     Explained  by  Brasseur  as  showing  a  path, 
be ;  by  Seler,  as  a  mat  and  a  straw  roof.     To  me,  it  looks  like  a 
be  che,  a  wooden  bridge,  the  two  supports  of  which   are  shown 
and  which  was  sometimes  covered  with  a  straw  mat.     This  rebus 
gives  the  first  syllable  of  the  name.     In  Tzental  tradition  Been 
was  the  ancient  hero  who   erected  the   inscribed  stelae  (piedras 
paradas)  at  Quixte,  near  Comitan,2  which  the  natives  still  deco- 
rate at  certain  times  with  garlands  of  flowers,  etc.3 

11.  Ix.     The  usual  figure  contains  a  number  of  black  dots. 

1  Variants  of  the  chuen  are  extremely  frequent  in  the  mural  inscriptions,  and  its 
correct  interpretation,  therefore,  highly  important.     As  stated  in  the  text,  I  believe 
they  generally  stand  for  chun,  which  means  "the  foundation,  the  beginning,  the  first, 
the  cause."     We  find  such  expressions  as  tu  chun  che,  "  at  the  foot  of  the  tree ;  " 
tu  chun  uitz,  "  at  the  base  of  the  hill,"  etc.     In  Tzental,  chit  is  the  teat  or  mamma, 
chunel,  to  suck  the  teat.     In  many  inscriptions  the  position  of  the  chun  is  antithetic 
to  the/tf.*,  the  one  indicating  the  beginning,  the  other  the  end  of  a  series. 

2  Nunez  de  la  Vega,  Constitutions  Diocesanas,p.  10.     The  story  was  that  Been 
inscribed  his  own  name  upon  them.     I  have  not  ascertained  that  this  locality  has 
been  examined  by  modern  travelers.     It  might  offer  valuable  material. 

3  E.  Pineda,  Description  Geografica  de  Chiapas*  pp.  7,  8. 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


These  suggest  the  word  xiix,  scattered  grain  husks.     Seler  thinks 
it  shows  "  the  round  hairy  ear  and  spotted  skin  of  the  jaguar." 


Je/,. 


Brasseur  proposed  that  it  conventionally  portrays  the  feminine 
parts,  as  ix  is  the  feminine  prefix  in  Maya. 

6    ,o     V;§ 

0D  (©  ^"^ 

12.  Men.  The  head  of  an  aged  person,  supposed  by  Brasseur 
and  Seler  to  be  Mother  Earth.  Sometimes  it  is  extended  worm- 
like,  as  in  Fig.  43,  No.  3. 


13.  Cib.  Brasseur  and  Seler  believe  the  enclosed  spiral  repre- 
sents the  fermented  liquor,  ci,  trickling  down.  The  "  pottery 
decoration  "  (see  p.  58)  certainly  indicates  a  jar  or  vase. 


14.   Caban.     The  design  is  that  of  the  "  cork-screw  curl"  of 
a  woman,  and  stands  for  cab  (see  p.  99). 


15.  Ezanab.     The  picture  is   of  the   sacrificial  knife  of  flint, 
which  closely  corresponds  with  the  name. 


THE    DAY    SIGNS. 


1  6.   Cauac.     The    design    shows    a   side    face,  with    pendent 
clouds  for  the  eye,  the  "  windcross  "  for  the  ear,  and,  perhaps, 


y. 


as  Seler  thinks,  the  hairy  mouth  of  the  moan  bird.  On  the 
other  hand,  Rosny  explains  it  as  "  the  plan  of  a  building,"  and 
Thomas  as  "  the  sign  for  wood." 


17.  Ahau.     Usually  considered  .  to  be  the  conventional  draw- 
ing of  a  full  face. 


1 8.  Imix.  Generally  regarded  as  representing  a  mammary 
gland,  though  it  is  not  quite  like  those  shown  in  the  Codices. 
It  is  typical  of  prosperity  and  is  often  attached  to  the  kan  sign. 
In  the  calendar  it  indicated  the  beginning  of  a  time-period.1 


19.  Ik.  The  word  means  air,  wind,  breath,  spirit,  soul,  and 
life.  The  design  is  a  katun  enclosing  the  sign  of  the  four  direc- 
tions or  four  winds,  the  "  wind-cross."  Brasseur  calls  it  a  flower, 
because  it  is  sometimes  shown  with  what  looks  like  leaves  emerg- 
ing from  it  (Cod  Tro.,  pp.  5*,  6*,  etc.).  This  indicates,  however, 
the  spirit  of  life  coming  forth  (or,  as  Seler  thinks,  is  a  sign  of 

1  See  Forsteraann,  Entzifftrung,  IV,  S.  15. 


i6 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


sacrifice ;  the  same  superfix  occurs  on  the  kan,  Cod.  Cort,  p.  37, 
etc.). 


20.  Akbal.  The  word  resembles  akab,  night,  and  is  probably 
derived  from  it.  The  design  may  be  that  of  a  mouth  with  teeth 
(Brasseur,  Seler),  or  the  rays  of  the  sun  after  sinking  below  the 
horizon.  As  a  general  glyph  it  is  frequent  with  the  signification 
of  night  and  darkness,  not  necessarily  in  a  bad  sense. 

6.   The  Hieroglyphs  for  the  Months. 

These  are  more  intricate  than  those  of  the  days,  and  show 
wider  variation.  In  the  designs  given  below,  the  first  on  the 
line  is  from  Landa's  work,  the  second  and  third  are  from  the 
Dresden  Codex. 


I.  Pop.  The  word  means  "  a  mat."  The  principal  element  in 
the  glyph  is  the  south  or  yellow  sign,  referring  perhaps  to  the 
color  of  a  mat,  with  the  alar  subfix.  The  prefix  to  the  first 
variant  shows  the  "  windcross." 


2.  Uo.  The  usual  meaning  of  this  term  is  a  prickly  pear ; 
also,  a  species  of  frog  ;  uooht  a  written  character  or  letter.  The 
prefix  indicating  speech  (see  p.  98)  seems  to  indicate  the 
latter.  The  chief  element  is  the  mol  sign  with  the  night  sun  as 
a  subfix. 


THE    MONTH    SIGNS. 


117 


3.  Zip.    The  design  shows  the  sun  below  the  flint  knife,  that 
is,  the  slain  or  departed  sun,  a  play  on  the  phrase,  zipik  kin,  the 


sun  set  (ponerse  el  sol,  Dice.  Motul}.     The  idea  is  strengthened 
by  the  mac  as  a  prefix,  signifying  "  to  extinguish." 


4.  Zodz.     The  word  means  "  bat,"  and  the  design  shows  the 
head  of  one  with  the  kin  as  a  superfix. 


^Uiiimiiu 


5.  Z^,  or  Tzec.  The  design  is  explained  by  Brasseur  as  a 
death's  head,  Maya,  tzekel ;  by  others,  as  an  open  mouth  with 
teeth  (compare  ckuen,  p.  1 1 2).  The  projecting  curved  lines  above 
the  head  are  supposed  by  Schellhas  to  represent  a  peculiar  mode 
of  wearing  the  hair.  But  as  tzec  means  "  scorpion,"  they  may 
depict  conventionally  the  claws  of  that  animal.1 


6.  Xid.     The  three  signs  are  quite  unlike.     The  first  presents 

1  Seler  observes,  on  doubtful   premises, — "  Tzec  scheint  der  Zermalmer  zu  bedeu- 
ten." 


n8 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


the  conical  bill  of  a  bird  of  the  finch  or  sparrow  family ;  the 
second,  the  horned  owl  or  the  falcon  (?)  ;  the  third,  a  conven- 
tionalized bird's  head.  The  second  may  be  ikonomatic  for 
xulub,  horns.  The  word  xul  means  to  end  or  to  finish  ;  and,  the 
end,  limit,  or  extremity. 


'7 


7.  Yaxkin.  This  means  "  new  sun  "  or  "  strong  sun."  The 
glyph  expresses  this  by  the  yax  sign,  "  new  "  or  "  strong  ;"  the 
kin  (sun)  sign  and  the  dotted  postfix,  ual,  month.  According 
to  the  Dice.  Motul,  the  phrase  dze  yax  kin  was  applied  by  the 
Mayas  to  the  hottest  part  of  the  summer. 


Y 


8.  Mol.  See  remarks  on  the  day  sign  muluc,  p.  in.  Dr. 
Forstemann  suggests  that  the  above  designs  represent  either 
(i)  a  snail  in  its  shell,  or  (2)  an  egg  with  its  yolk,  or  (3)  the 
sun  after  setting.  Seler  holds  that  it  shows  the  heart,  Maya,  ol, 
within  the  body,  making  a  rebus  for  mol. 


9.  Clien.  This  means  a  spring  or  well  of  water.  The  second 
sign  shows  a  water  jar  bearing  the  sign  of  fluid,  with  reference 
to  the  sense  of  the  word.  The  first  is  more  complex.  The 
main  element  is  a  face  with  a  moan  mouth,  referring  to  water ; 
for  an  eye  the  infix  u,  for  month  ;  and  two  prefixes,  the  sign  of 


THE    MONTH    SIGNS. 


union   (see  p.   100),  and  above  it  what  may  be  a  variant  of  ben 
(seep.  113). 


10.    Yax.     The  feather  sign  yax  (see  p.  94)  is  the  superfix 
to  the  cauac  sign,  which  carries  the  postfix  ual,  month. 


ii.  Zac.  This  word  means  "white,"  and  this  is  here  ex- 
pressed by  the  cauac  sign  carrying  as  a  superfix  the  north  direc- 
tive sign  (see  p.  109),  as  white  was  the  color  sacred  to  the  North. 


1 2.  Ceh.  The  meaning  of  ceh  is  "  deer,"  and  the  design  shows 
the  flint  knife  used  in  slaughtering  that  animal,  placed  as  a 
superfix  to  the  cauac  sign. 


•  jimuu  a 


13.  Mac.  The  first  glyph  represents  the  cover  of  a  jar,  the 
name  of  which  in  Maya  is  mac,  thus  making  a  perfect  rebus.1 
The  second,  not  plain,  is  a  variant  of  the  kan  or  imix,  with  the 

1  "  Mac,  tapa  de  vasija."  The  opinion  of  Allen  that  the  sign  represents  the  ex- 
tended arms,  the  "  great  span,"  is  inappropriate.  The  measure  called  mac  was  much 
greater  (doce  brazas,  Pio  Perez).  Another  meaning  of  mac  is  the  sea  turtle  and  its 
shell  (galapago  y  concha  del). 


120 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


"  comb  "  subfix.  In  this  month  was  celebrated  the  important 
rite  of  tupp  kak,  "  the  extinguishing  of  the  fire,"  the  aim  of  which 
was  to  secure  rain  for  the  growing  crops.  The  figure  may  refer 
to  this. 


14.  Kan  kin.  This  expression  means  "the  yellow  sun." 
The  first  glyph  is  a  perfect  rebus,  showing  the  sun  sign,  kin,  and 
the  south  directive  sign  (see  Fig.  65),  which  means  "  yellow." 
The  second  glyph  is  the  sign  for  a  breast-bone,  a  shield,  or  dog 
(seep.  125). 


15.  Muan.     The  head  of  the  muan  bird,  the  crested  falcon, 
with  his  ears  or  horns,  see  p.  74. 


16.  Pax.     The  only  or  main  element  is  the  drum,  pax  che, 
above  explained  (see  p.  91). 


17.  Kayab.     The  main  element  was  recognized  by  Schellhas 
as  the  head  of  a  turtle.     In  Landa's  alphabet  this  has  the  value 


MONOGRAMS    OF   THE   GODS. 


121 


a  or  ak.     It  is   applied  as  a  rebus   to   recall  the  first  syllable  of 
the  name. 


%'t 


18.  Cum  ku.  The  glyph  in  one  case  combines  kan  and  cum, 
with  prefixes  of  cauac  and  cib.  Dr.  Forstemann  fancifully  ex- 
plains it  as  portraying  "  from  one  point  two  flashes  of  light- 
ning or  sun's  rays  striking  the  maize  field."  Rather,  we  have 
here  the  rebus  cum  kan,  recalling  the  name,  and  the  cauac  sign, 
which  is  repeated  in  a  number  of  the  month  signs. 


7.  The  Hieroglyphs  of  the  Deities. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  in  the  texts  the  gods  are  sever- 
ally represented  by  their  signs  or  monograms.  The  credit  of 
defining  these  in  a  clear  and  satisfactory  manner  is  due  almost 
entirely  to  Dr.  Schellhas,  and  I  shall  here  present  the  results  of 
his  careful  studies,  retaining  his  alphabetic  nomenclature,  which 
has  in  some  degree  been  accepted  by  Dr.  Forstemann  and  others. 

A.  The  god  of  Death. 


His  signs  are  clearly  established  and  vary  but  little,  Nos.  1-4. 
Two  of  them  are  usually  written.  The  prefix  to  I  and  3  has 
been  already  referred  to  (see  p.  84).  The  bean  (or  flint) 
appears  as  a  prefix  in  No.  2,  as  a  subfix  in  No.  3.  Frequently- 
associated  with  his  monogram  is  No.'  5,  which  Seler  explains  as 
the  sign  of  the  owl.  No.  6,  from  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  50,  with  a  skull 
9 


122 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


for  a  head-dress,  may  be  a  priest  of  ths  divinity ;  No.  7,  fromi 
Dres.,  p.  22,  may  also  be  a  priest  or  a  companion. 

B.  Itzamna,  or  "  the  god  with  the  snake-like  tongue." 


His  hieroglyphs  are,  beyond  mistake,  Nos.  8  and  9.  The  di- 
rective sign,  No.  10,  is  occasionally  associated  with  his  mono- 
gram. In  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  33,  one  of  his  attributes  is  shown  in 
No.  11,  the  hand  closing  on  the  rattles  of  the  crotalus.  The  food 
symbols,  Nos.  12,  13,  14,  15,  are  often  connected  with  him. 
Some  regard  them  as  the  four  elements,  etc. 

C.  The  North  Star,  or  "  the  god  with  the  ornamental  face." 


c. 


19 


It  is  easy  to  recognize  his  monogram,  Nos.  16,  17,  18,  19,  21. 
I  have  already  explained  the  "  pottery  decoration  "  (above,  p. 
58).  As  prefixes,  we  find  the  bean,  No.  20;  the  crescent,  as  in 
21  ;  the  number  13,  indicating  completeness  or  perfection;  and 
the  vase,  as  in  16  and  17. 

D.  Cuculcan,  "  the  moon  god,  or  night  god." 


The  complete  hieroglyph  is  No.  22,  generally  followed  by  No. 
23.     He  is  "the  old  man  god,"  with  one  tooth,  as  in  No.  24; 


MONOGRAMS    OF    THE    GODS. 


123 


sometimes  connected  with  the  moon  symbol  as  in  No.  25  ;  and 
often  holds  in  his  hand  the  aspersorium,  shown  in  Nos.  26  and 
27.  See  p.  105. 

E.  Ghanan,  "  a  male  maize  god." 


23. 


His  usual  monogram  is  No.  28.  No.  29  is  a  picture  of  the 
maize  plant  from  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  29,  from  which  Dr.  Schellhas 
argues  that  the  head-dresses  of  this  divinity,  as  shown  in  Nos.  30 
-34,  are  conventional  designs  for  growing  maize.  My  own  col- 
lations persuade  me  that  the  maize  should  here  be  understood 
as  a  general  symbol  for  vegetable  growth,  fertility,  and  the 
harvests. 

1 F.  The  god  of  War,  or,  "  a^companion  of  the  god  of  death." 


His  hieroglyphs,  shown  in  Nos.  35-41,  often  contain  the  num- 
ber ii.  The  black  line  is  characteristic.  His  signs  appear  in 
connection  with  all  four  cardinal  points. 

G.  Kin  ich,  "  the  sun  god." 


His  monogram  is  uniform  No.  42.     It  is  the   sun  with  the 
ben  ik  superfix  and  alar  postfix.     (See  p.  90).     His  nose  orna- 


124 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


ment,  No.  43,  and  the  "  flower,"  No.  44,  are  usually  distinctive 
of  his  portraits.1 

/.  "  The  serpent  goddess." 

Her  signs  are  not  distinct.  Dr.  Schellhas  believes  them  to  be 
Nos.  49-5 1 ;  but  I  cannot  accept  that  they  are  intended  for  the 
same  individual. 

H.  "  The  serpent  god." 


The  hieroglyph  and  the  personage,  No.  45,  are  doubtful.  He 
is  supposed  to  be  shown  in  Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  1 1,  12,  20,  etc.  Nos. 
46  .and  47,  from  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  17,  are  also  assigned  him.  The 
rattle,  No.  48,  appears  as  a  hieroglyph  in  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  61,  and 
elsewhere.  I  doubt  this  deity. 

K.  "  The  god  with  the  ornamented  nose." 

The  hieroglyph  is  No.  52,  often  accompanied  by  the  "  dog  " 
sign,  No.  53.  I  have  already  expressed  the  belief  that  this  is 
merely  one  of  the  manifestations  of  Itzamna.  (See  p.  54-) 

L.  leal  Ahau,  "a  black  god." 


Dr.  Schellhas  distinguishes  between  a  divinity  whose  sign  is 
No.  54,  and  "  M"  "  a  second  black  god,"  whose  hieroglyph  is 


1  Dr.  Seler,  in  Zeitschrifl  fur  Ethnologic,  1891,  p.  ill,  gives  another  monogram 
for  Kin  ich — the  cauac,  with  the  "blowing"  prefix  (see  p.  98)  and  the  "machete" 
subfix. 


MONOGRAMS    OF    THE    GODS. 


125 


No.  55,  56,  and  whose  face  is  shown  No.  57.  He  appears  in 
Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  13,  16,  43,  and  is  common  in  the  Cod.  Tro.  The 
sign  No.  58  is  occasionally  associated,  as  in  Cod.  Tro.,  p.  5,  and 
Cod.  Cort.,  p.  28. 

N.  "A  god  with  the  features  of  an  old  man." 


His  sign  is  No.  59,  which  may  be  translated  "  5  Zac,"  and  may 
refer  to  his  festival  on  that  date  (Seler).  His  face  and  peculiar 
head-dress,  with  the  pax  sign,  are  shown  No.  60.  These  do  not 
strike  me  as  representing  divinity,  but  simply  "  old  age." 

O.  "A  goddess  with  features  of  an  old  woman"  (Xmucane?). 
Her  hieroglyphs  are  shown  Nos.  61,  62;  the  latter  is  more  fre- 
quent. 

P.  "A  figure  with  features  of  an  old  man." 

It  is  seen  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  21,  with  the  sign  No.  63.  It  is 
doubtful  if  a  deity  is  intended. 

Q.  "An  isolated  deity." 

Shown  Cod.  Dres.,  p.  20,  with  the  signs  Nos.  64  and  65  ; 
probably  a  mere  personage. 


R.  The  moan  bird. 

He  is  often  associated  with  the  god  of  death,  and  bears  the 
hieroglyphs  Nos.  66-69,  sometimes  with  the  13. 

5.  No.  70  is  the  usual  hieroglyph  of  the  dog,  and  T,  No.  71, 
is  that  of  the  vulture. 


126 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


U.  No.  72  is  the  sign  of  the  jaguar,  as  seen  in  Cod.  Tro.,  p. 
17,  and  in  Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  8,  26. 


V.  The  turtle  or  tortoise.  Its  monogram  is  seen  Nos.  73, 
74,  75.  It  is  the  a  of  Landa's  alphabet.  There  is  no  doubt  but 
that  the  turtle's  head  and  not  that  of  the  parrot  is  intended, 
though  some  have  thought  otherwise. 


SPECIMENS    OF   TEXTS. 


127 


V.  Specimens  of  Texts. 

In  the  selection  of  the  following  texts  I  have  been  guided 
principally  by  the  desire  to  illustrate  Mayan  palaeography  as 
presented  on  different  surfaces,  paper,  stone,  earthenware,  etc., 
and  as  it  is  found  in  the  various  regions  occupied  by  tribes  of 
Mayan  culture  and  affinity.  Some  of  the  examples  have  not 
been  previously  published,  and  for  this  reason  have  a  special 
value. 


FIG.  68. — The  God  of  Time  brings  in  the  Dead  Year.     (From  the  Dresden  Codex.) 

Fig.  68  I  would  explain  as  the  god  of  time  bringing  in  the 
dead  year.  It  is  part  of  the  ceremonies  depicted  as  belonging 
to  the  close  of  the  year.  That  the  wolf-headed  figure  represents 
time,  the  Devourer,  I  infer  from  its  relations  in  the  early  pages 
of  the  Ferjevary  Codex,  where  it  is  shown  eating  a  string  of 
days,  etc.  (in  Kingsborough's  Mexican  Antiquities). 


128 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


These  ceremonies  are  represented  in  the  Cod.  Troano,  pp. 
20-23,  and  the  Cod.  Dres.,  pp.  25-28.  The  recognition  of 
their  significance  is  principally  due  to  Prof.  Cyrus  Thomas. 

The  god  arrives  in  the  vase  of  the  heavenly  waters.  In  his  left 
hand  he  holds  the  rattle,  in  his  right  the  magic  wand,  or  magi- 
cian's staff,  caluac,  and  the  medicine  bag  (Maya  chimil,  Nahuatl, 
xiquipilli) ;  around  his  waist  is  the  broad  carrying-band,  in  the 
loop  of  which  he  has  the  dying  year,  kan. 


FIGt  69. — A  Sacrifice  at  the  Close  of  the  Year.     (From  the  Dresden  Codex.) 

In  Fig.  69  is  another  scene  from  the  same  ceremonies.  The 
person  on  the  right  is  the  celebrant,  holding  a  beheaded  fowl  in 
his  right  hand,  while  his  left  strews  grain.  Before  him  is  a 
haunch  of  venison  and  a  turkey.  Above  the  latter  is  the  moon 
symbol  with  the  number  15.  To  the  left  of  these  stands  the 
statue  of  Mam,  the  Grandfather,  a  log  folded  in  a  robe  and  sur- 
mounted by  the  leaves  of  the  Tree  of  Life.1  In  front  are  seen 
the  serpent's  head,  the  sign  of  Time ;  below  this  are  footprints, 

1  See  Cogolludo :  Hisloria  de  Yucatan,  Tom.  I,  p.  317. 


SPECIMENS    OF    TEXTS. 


I29 


to  indicate  that  time  is  gone ;  and  beneath  the  form  of  the  god 
is  the  sign  pax,  with  the  meaning,  "  it  is  ended." 


FIG.  70. — Symbolic  Representation  of  the  Close  of  one  Time-Period  and  the  Begin- 
ning of  another.       (From  the  Cortesian  Codex.) 


In  interesting  contrast  to  these  two  is  Fig.  70,  showing  the 
beginning  of  a  time-period.  On  the  left,  two  dogs,  back  to  back 
beneath  the  same  canopy,  indicate  the  closing  of  one  period 
and  the  beginning  of  another.  On  the  right,  the  serpent  of  time, 
resting  on  the  earth,  brings  to  the  heavens  the  new  sun.  The 
youthful  god  between  the  serpent's  jaws  carries  the  world-sign 
for  an  eye,  and  holds  in  his  hand  the  symbol  yax  kin,  "  new 
Above  are  appropriate  hieroglyphs,  the  tenor  of  which 


sun. 


I3O  MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 

the  diligent  student  of  my  previous  pages  will  have  little  diffi- 
culty in  catching. 

In  Fig.  71  the  God  of  Growth  and  Fertility  holds  an  elaborate 
caluac  surmounted  by  a  bird,  its  apertures  filled  with  shells.  Be- 
hind him  is  seated  the  God  of  Death,  his  caluac  tipped  with  a 
formidable  spear-head.  The  God  of  Growth  has  not  his  own 
monogram,  but  that  of  the  old  Cuculcan. 

When  we  recall  that  the  shell  is  the  sign  for  "  nought,"  the 
indication  seems  that  the  God  of  Death  with  his  spear  will  bring 
to  nought  the  efforts  of  the  God  of  Fertility. 

We  see  in  Fig.  72  the  North  Star  in  a  series  of  relations  to 
other  celestial  bodies  or  divinities.  Beginning  at  the  left,  he  is 
seated  on  his  own  sign  which  is  surrounded  by  rays  ;  next,  he 
is  upon  the  sign  of  the  four  winds  and  four  quarters  of  the  earth  ; 
in  the  third  he  is  suspended  in  a  sling  from  the  "  constellation 
band  "  between  the  sun  and  a  planet ;  and  fourth,  he  is  above  the 
clouds,  which  rest  upon  a  canopy  protecting  a  pile  of  kansy 
money  or  food  emblems. 

The  three  figures  in  Fig/73  present  the  beneficent  deities, 
each  bearing  in  the  hand  the  food  symbol,  kan. 

The  group  copied  in  Fig.  74,  show  the  God  of  Death  fol- 
lowed by  Kin  ich,  who  seems  remonstrating  with  him,  who  in 
turn  is  followed  by  the  God  of  War  with  a  wrathful  visage:  The 
positions  of  the  hands  are  especially  noteworthy.  The  sign  mol 
leads  each  of  the  cartouches. 

In  Fig.  75  Cuculcan  is  making  fire  from  the  friction  of  two 
pieces  of  wood.  On  his  head  is  the  moan  symbol,  on  his  thigh 
the  kin.  Each  of  the  three  cartouches  begins  with  the  drum 
sign.  His  own  monogram  is  the  third  member  of  the  second 
cartouche. 

In  Fig.  76  the  text  is  the  same  in  each  of  the  three  car- 
touches except  the  monograms  of  the  three  divinities  repre- 
sented. 


1  0  .  * 

'•     • 

(•»** 

FIG.  71. — The  God  of  Growth  and  the  God  of  Death.     (From  the  Cortesian  Codex.) 


FIG.  72. — Auguries  from  the  North  Star.     (Cortesian  Codex.) 


FIG.  73. — Itzamna,  the  Serpent  Goddess,  and  Kin  ich.    (Dresden  Codex.) 


'oVo 


rL^ 


FIG.  74.— The  God  of  Death,  Kin  ich,  and  the  God  of  War.     (Dresden  Codex.) 

I32 


FIG.  75. — Cuculcan  Makes  New  Fire.      (Codex  Troano.) 


FIG.  76. — The  Gods  of  Death,  of  Growth,  and  the  North  Star.     (Dresden  Codex). 

133 


134 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


In  Fig.  77  each  cartouche  begins  with  mol,  and  is  immediately 
followed  by  the  monogram  of  the  god.  The  lower  glyphs  differ 
materially. 


FIG.  77. — The  God  of  Growth,  Kin  ich,  and  Itzamna.     (Dresden  Codex.) 

All  the  above  specimens  of  texts  have  been  photographed 
from  the  Codices,  without  restoration.  They  show,  therefore, 
not  only  the  general  character  of  those  documents,  but  also 
their  state  of  preservation.  In  many  instances  the  pages  have 
been  defaced,  and  portions  of  the  inscriptions  upon  them  injured. 
Sometimes  it  is  possible  to  restore  the  obliterations  by  a  compar- 
ison of  parallel  passages,  and  this  has  been  done  successfully  by 
various  scholars. 

The  extracts  have  been  selected  also  with  the  object  of  show- 
ing the  representations  of  the  most  prominent  deities,  Itzamna, 
Kin  ich,  Cuculcan,  the  God  of  D,eath,  etc.,  in  the  manner  in 
which  we  find  them  in  the  Codices. 


SPECIMENS    OF    TEXTS. 


135 


In  this  interesting  inscription  from  Central  Yucatan,  we 
recognize  familiar  signs,  as  the  medicine-drum  and  the  cloud- 
signs  at  the  bottom,  and  cauac,  chikin,  yax,  etc.,  within  the 


Bandrof t  Library 


FIG.  78. — The  Inscription  of  Kabah. 

square  area.     It  is  sufficient  to  prove  that  at  Kabah  the  same 


writing  was  in  use. 


1  This  inscription,  painted  on  stucco,  was  copied  by  H.  F.  Becker  and  printed  in 
the  Archives  de  la  Societe  Americaine  de  France.  See  de  Rosny,  L?  Interpretation 
desanciens  Textes  Mayas,  p.  12.  note  (Paris,  1875). 


136 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


There  is  some  reason  to  suppose,  however,  that  in  this 
part  of  the  Mayan  territory  there  had  been  a  development  of 
this  writing  until  it  had  become  conventionalized  into  a  series  of 
lines  and  small  circles  enclosed  in  the  usual  square  or  oval 
of  the  katun.  I  have  seen  several  examples  of  this  remarkable 
script,  and;  give  one,  Fig.  79,. part  of  an  inscription  on  a  vase 
from  Labna,  Yucatan,  now  in  the  Peabody  Museum.1 


I. 


" 


FIG.  79.  —  Linear  Inscription  from  Yucatan. 


The  tablets  at  Palenque  are  too  extensive  a  study  for  me  to 
enter  upon  in  the  present  work.  The  engraving,  Fig.  80,  is 
merely  to  show  the  character  of  the  writing  and  to  present  the 
"  initial  glyphs,"  upon  which,  in  Copan  and  elsewhere,  Mr. 
Maudslay  lays  so  much  stress  (see  above,  p.  23). 

Incidentally,  they  seem  to  me  to  prove  that  the  proper  reading 
of  the  tablet  is  to  begin  at  the  top  of  the  two  right-hand  columns, 
read  them  together  downward  (as  Thomas  suggested),  then  the 
next  two  to  the  left  in  a  similar  manner  ;  but  the  last  two  on  the 
left,  those  headed  by  the  great  pax,  should  be  read  from  below 
upward.  This  differs  from  any  scheme  yet  proposed,  but  alone 
corresponds  with  the  natural  sequences  of  the  groups  of  glyphs. 
The  terminal  (upper  left)  glyph  shows  the  pax  surmounted  by 
the  xihuitl  wt\&  this  by  the  "  trinal  "  signs.  The  student  of  the 
preceding  pages  will  not  be  at  a  loss  to  explain  their  purport. 


1  Another  example  is  in  the  Thompson  collection,  and  a  third,  somewhat  similar, 
also  from  a  vase  from  Yucatan  (now  in  Berlin),  has  been  published  by  Dr.  Schellhas, 
Internat.  Archiv.fur  Ethnographie,  1890  (p.  3  of  his  separatum). 


SPECIMENS    OF    TEXTS. 


137 


I  have  already  referred   (above,  p.  54)  to  the  singular  "  bas- 
reliefs  of  Chiapas."     They  are  covered  with  elaborate  designs 


FIG.  80. — The  "  Initial  Series"  of  the  Tablet  of  the  Cross,  Palenque. 

carved  in  low  relief  on  the  argillaceous  slate  of  which  they  con- 
sist. Nearly  all  have  hieroglyphics  of  a  decorative  Mayan  char- 
acter. For  the  sake  of  comparison  I  add  Fig.  81,  a  tracing  of 

10 


138 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


the  four  glyphs  which  are  placed  in  front  of  the  tapir  on  the 
"  tapir  tablet." 


o 


©rode 


FIG.  81. — Inscription  on  the  "  Tapir  Tablet,"  Chiapas. 

The  interesting  group,  Fig.  82,  is  the  most  complete  example 
of  the  ancient  writing  I  know  of,  from  the  region  of  the  Zotzils. 
The  original,  formerly  in  the  possession  of  Don  Secundino 
Orantes,  in  the  city  of  Chiapas,  measures  26  by  17  inches.  The 
front  is  badly  injured,  but  the  back  well  preserved.  We  find  in 
this  cartouche  of  twenty  glyphs  enough  familiar  forms  to  con- 
vince us  of  the  identity  of  the  graphic  method.  Pax,  chuen,  the 
iguana,  etc.,  are  soon  recognized.  The  copy  was  made  by  the 
late  Dr.  C.  H.  Berendt. 


C-  ^ 


SPECIMENS    OF    TEXTS.     .. 


139 

•'^ 


Tonina  is  about  80  miles  south  of  Palenque  and  near  Ococingo, 
whence  Mr.  Squier  obtained  the  amulet  bearing  the  neat  inscrip- 


Obverse. 


Reverse. 


FIG.  82.  —  Inscription  on  a  Tablet  from  Tonina,  Chiapas. 

tion  shown  in  Fig.   83.     The  original  is  now  in  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York  city. 


FIG.  83.  —  Inscription  on  an  Amulet  from  Ococingo,  Chiapas. 

The  beautiful  inscription,  Fig.  84,  hitherto  unpublished,  is  on 


140 


MAYAN    HIEROGLYPHICS. 


a  burial  vase  from  the  Quiche  district  of  Guatemala,  near  Hue- 
huetenango.  It  is  not  only  the  longest  and  most  perfect  exam- 
ple known  of  Quiche  palaeography,  but  it  is*also  the  most  exten- 
sive inscription  I  have  seen  on  pottery  from  any  part  of  the 


FIG.  84. — Inscription  on  a  Vase  from  a  Quiche  Tomb,  Guatemala. 

Mayan  territory.  The  original,  a  vase  of  high  artistic  merit,  is 
in  the  Museum  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  Again  we 
see  familiar  signs,  the  imix,  the  pax,  the  numerals,  the  bean  sub- 
fix,  etc. 


The  limits  which  I  have  prescribed  for  this  work  do  not  per- 
mit me  to  add  further  comparisons  in  Mayan  palaeography. 
Fortunately,  the  student  can  find  ready  access  to  abundant 
examples.  The  inscriptions  of  Copan  and  Quirigua,  of  Chichen 


SPECIMENS    OF    TEXTS.  141 

Itza,  and  Palenque,  are  or  will  be  represented  with  admirable 
fidelity  in  Mr.  Maudslay's  work  already  referred  to;  others  from 
Tikal  have  been  made  accessible  by  the  labors  of  Berendt,  Charnay 
and  de  Rosny ;  and  we  are  justified  in  believing  that  b'efore  many 
years  the  intelligent  explorations  of  competent  archaeologists 
will  add  hundreds  of  texts  from  the  relics  in  stone,  clay,  and 
wood  whfch  still  exist  to  attest  the  character  of  ancient  Mayan 
literature. 

The  most  urgent  duty  resting  upon  the  present  generation  of 
students  interested  in  this  subject  is  to  collect  and  accurately 
reproduce  as  many  of  these  texts  as  possible,  before  they  are 
destroyed  or  lost.  Extended  comparisons  will  ultimately  reveal 
their  meaning,  as  will  readily  be  seen  from  the  advances  in  that 
direction  chronicled  in  the  preceding  pages. 


I.  INDEX-VOCABULARY  OF  MAYA  WORDS. 

(T.  signifies  the  Tzen tal  dialect.'] 


ac,  a  tortoise,  or  turtle,  35,  74 

acan,  mead,  42 

ac  ek,  a  constellation,  35 

aghan,  T.,  young  ear  of  maize,  62 

ahau,  ruler,  lord,  41 ;  a  day  name,  115 

ahau  can,  rattlesnake,  68,  75 

ahau  can  mat,  chief  priest,  68 

ahau  katun,  22 

ahau  tzab  can,  the  rattlesnake,  75 

ah-caluac,  the  staff  bearer,  the  mayordomo, 

52 
ah-ch'om,  a  vulture,  73 

ah-chun  can,  high  priest;  68  " 

ah-coy-can,  v.  p.  1 10,  note 

ah-cunal  than ,  word-conjurer,  68 

ah~kin,  priest,  68 

ah-kin-mai,  chief  priest,  68 

ah  koh-kcuel,  a  masked  priest,  69 

ahlo,  the  macaw,  73 

ah-mac  ik,  wind  conjurer,  68 

ah-poou,  the  milky  way,  35 

ah -pul,  a  conjurer,  68 

ah-ttai-chac,  rain  conjurer,  68 

ah-uai  xibalba,  conjurer  of  departed  souls, 

68 

ah-zahcab,  Venus,  34 
akbal,  night,  darkness,  56;   a  day   name, 

116 

alau  (64,000,000),  19 
anhel,  to  stand  erect,  46 

bacab,  40 

bac-baqitetic,  a  numeral,  19 
balam,  the  jaguar,  72 
bak,  four  hundred,  19 


bat,  an  axe;  hail,  104 
batab,  a  chief,  104 
batul,  to  fight,  104 
be,  footprints,  88 
be  che,  a  bridge,  1 13 
ben,  or  been,  a  day  name,  91,  113 
ben-ik,  a  graphic  sign,  90,  123 
bolon,  nine,  25 

bolon  paxche,  a  large  drum,  92 
budz  ek,  a  comet,  35 
'bit/,  a  bean;  all,  the  whole,  89 
bulcabal,  a  destruction,  46 

caan,  the  sky,  52 

cal>,  down,  downward,  etc.,  60,  99,  114 

caban,  a  day  name,  114 

cac,  to  pull  out,  86 

calab  (160,000),  19 

calacal,  perforated,  52 

caluac,  the  "  staff  of  office,"  52,  128,  130 

camach,  a  jaw  bone,  85 

canan,  a  sentinel,  guardian,  34 

canan  chulchaii,  Venus,  34 

can  zicnal,  serpent  being,  41 

caitac,  a  day  name,  115 

*  cayob)  T.,  a  drum,  93 

ceh,  a  deer  ;  a  month  name,  1 19 

cha'am,  the  (molar)  teeth,  43 

chac,  red,  strong;  water,  etc.,  34,  40,  109 

chac  ek,  Venus,  34 

chacal  ik,  strong  wind,  40 

chain,  a  jaw  bone,  85 

chainal  dzttlan,  shooting  stars,  35 

che,  tree,  wood,  45 

chebel,  to  paint;  a  paint  brush,  42 


'43 


144 


I.    INDEX-VOCABULARY    OF    MAYA    WORDS. 


chel,  the  rainbow,  40 

ch>en,  a  month  name  ;  a  well,  118 

chi,  to  bite,  89;  a  mouth,  112 

chibil  kin,  a  solar  eclipse,  36 

chibil  it,  a  lunar  eclipse,  36 

chicchan,  a  day  name,  in 

chick,  strong,  powerful,  swift,  hard,  96 

chick  kuch,  to  twist  thread,  96 

chimal,  shield,  34 

chimal  ek,  the  north  star,  34 

chimal  ik,  the  north  wind,  34 

chimil,  a  medicine  bag,  128 

chinax,  T.,  a  knife,  89 

chu,  a  calabash,  112 

chuen,  a  day  name,  23,  112 

chidchan,  the  sky  or  heavens,  34 

chun,  the  first,  the  beginning,  23,  113 

ci,  to  trickle,  114 

cib,  a  day  name,  114 

cicil,  a  knife,  84 

cimi,  a  day  name,  ill 

coz,  an  owl,  73 

cuceb,  a  squirrel,  109 

cucul,  covered;  revolving,  56,  109 

culinte,  T.,  a  drum  of  wood,  93 

cum,  a  vase,  41,  48 

cum  ku,  a  month  name,  121 

cun,  to  conjure,  44 

cuzaan,  or  cuzam,  a  swallow,  42 

dzacab,  a  generation,  25 

dzacah,  to  heal  by  magic  rites,  93 

dzacatan,  a  medicine  drum,  93 

dzicnial,  39 

^z2/>,  to  skin  animals,  42 

dziz,  coolness,  cold,  42 

eb,  a  day  name,  113 

eb-che,  a  ladder,  77 

eb-tun,  a  stone  stairway,  113 

ebzah,  to  sharpen,  113 

<»/£,  star;  black,  34;  dyewood,  fat,  109 

ek  chuh,  scorpion,  67 

ezanab,  a  day  name,  114 


ghan,  T.,  maize,  62 

haycabal,  a  destruction,  46 

hobnil,  hollow ;  the  belly,  40 

hozan,  disembowelled,  41 

hub,  a  snail,  75 

htm,  one,  25 

hunab,  only,  sole,  37 

hunbalan  &,the  moon  in  conjunction,  36 

ibach,  an  armadillo,  72 

zVtf/,  or  ic,  T.,  black,  67 

zV^,  an  eye  ;  a  face ;    twins,  84 

ik,  wind,  breath,  life,  soul,  etc.,  50,  115 

ik,  a  day  name,  91,  115 

ik  omne,  a  comet,  35 

imix,  a  day  name,  115 

itz,  fluid,  52 

z>,  feminine  prefix,  40 

ix-bouat,  a  prophetess,  68 

ix  chel,  the  rainbow,  40 

ix-cunal than,  a  conjuress,  68 

ix  kan  leom,  a  spider-web,  40 

ix  kin,  priestess,  68 

ix  nuc,  old  woman,  43 

kaax,  a  knot;  a  harvest-field,  41 

kab,  a  hand,  arm,  finger,  juice,  sap,  tears,  83 

kaba,  a  name,  83 

kabil,  his  hand,  38 

kak,  fire,  42,  1 20 

kak  mo,  a  bird,  39 

kal,  twenty,  19 

kan,  money,  food,  etc.,  109 

kan  kin,  a  month  name,  120 

katun,  II,  22,  28 

kax  or  kaax,  a  knot,  91 

kax  pol,  the  tress  of  the  hair,  91 

kaxala,  to  rain ;  the  rain,  91 

kayab,  a  month  name,  1 20 

kin  katun,  28 

kin,         ^ 

kinal,      \-    see  p.  87 

kinam,   J 


I.    INDEX-VOCABULARY   OF    MAYA   WORDS: 


kinchil  (3, 200,000),  19 

kin  ich  (deriv.),  39 

koh,  a  mask,  69 

ku,  a  god  ;  divine,  37 

>&«^fc,  a  vulture,  46,  73 

/£«/,  divine,  95 

ku  kum,  a  feather,  95 

kup,  to  sacrifice,  to  cut,  69 

lakin  chan  (deriv.),  38 
lamat,  a  day  name,  ill 
licil  dzicil,  a  knife,  89 
lilabal,  a  sprinkler,  105 
lorn,  a  lance,  43 
/z*w,  the  earth,  48 

maax,  a  monkey,  72 

wflf,  to  extinguish ;  a  cover ;     a  turtle ;  a 

month  name,  119 
mach,  to  grasp,  83 

mat  or  maay,  dust,  smoke,  fume,  25,  68 
mam,  a  numeral,  19;  grandfather,  128 
manik,  a  day  name,  39,  III 
matzab,  antennae,  rays,  98 
mechun,  a  numeral,  19 
mehen  ek,  a  constellation,  35 
w,?w,  a  day  name,  114 
miatz,  a  scholar,  25 
moan,  see  muan 
mol,  a  month  name,  118 
molay  ik,  a  hurricane,  1 12 
#*00,  the  macaw,  73 
moxic,  T.,  a  day  name,  39 
muan,  a  falcon,  cloudy,  74  ;  also,  a  month 

name,  120 

muc,  to  cover,  to  bury,  61 
much,  a  frog,  75 
mucul  canan,  Venus,  34 
muctd  mam,  a  numeral,  19 
mucul  u,  the  waning  moon,  61 
muluc,  a  day  name,  III 
tnuyal,  clouds,  48,  52,  74 
muyan,  see  muan 


nak  caan,  the  sky,  99 

»#,  a  house,  37 

nen,  a  mirror,  105 

noA,  great,  strong ;  right  hand,  34 

noh  ek,  great  star,  34 

nohnial,  39 

nuc,  old,  43 

«<?f/5,  provisions,  42 

oc,  to  enter;  a  day  name,  112 
ol,  the  soul  or  spirit,  48 
oxlahun,  thirteen,  25 

paakal,  to  frighten,  44 

pacat,  face,  44 

/a^r,  a    musical   instrument  92 ;  a   month 

name,  120 

paxan,  completed,  finished,  92,  125,  129 
pax  che,  a  wooden  drum,  92 
pec,  to  rattle,  to  thunder,  63,  71 
pec  chac,  thunder,  63 
peek  hec  hoi,  flatheaded,  62 
pek,  a  dog,  71 
pic,  eight  thousand,  19 
picit,  a  fan,  105 
pixan,  the  soul,  25 
pocam,  a  cleansing,  55 
pop,  a  mat;  a  month  name,  116 
ppeta,  to   perform   religious   rites;    to   cry 

with  pain,  69 
ppua,  dew,  42 
pputum,  small,  43 
ppuz,  bent  over,  43 
puch,  to  spoil,  to  undo,  to  destroy,  44 
puhaa,  to  blow  forth  water  from  the  mouth, 

98 
puy,  a  shell,  19 

ta,  a  knife  ;  excrement,  89 
tah,  a  dramatic  representation,  89 
tab,  cord,  twenty,  19,  42 
tamacaz,  the  milky  way,  35 
tan  kukul,  before  the  gods,  44 


146 


INDEX -VOCABULARY    OF    MAYA    WORDS. 


tan  kul,  a  drum,  93 

tetn,  an  altar  of  stone,  48 

fix  I  (Cak.),  the  tapir,  55 

tub)  to  spit,  42 

tun,  a  stone,  a  jewel,  42 

tunkul,  see  tanknl 

tup,  to  stop  up,  to  extinguish ;  also,  ear- 
rings, 85,  1 20 

tupul  u  ttich  kin,  a  solar  eclipse,  36 

tzab,  rattles  of  the  rattle-snake  ;  the  Pleia- 
des, 35,  63 

tza  ec,  a  comet,  35 

tzapa,  short,  43 

tzec,  a  scorpion  ;  a  month  name,  117 

tzekel,  a  death's  head,  117 

tzimin,  the  tapir,  55 

tzotzceh  (3,200,000),  19 

tzitc,  a  five-day  period,  28 

U,  the  moon.;  a  necklace  ;  his  ;  36,  86,  87 
tea  or  nal,  a  dot,  97  ;  a  fan,  105 
uac,  six,  43 
ual,  month,  118 

u  nitpptanbct,  the  moon  in  opposition,  36 
nil,  food ;  advantageous,  86 
ly  month  ;  twenty,  87 
y  a  man,  43,  87 
uo,  a  frog,  75  ;  a  month  name,  116 
uooh,  a  book  ;  a  letter,  116 
ut,  a  snail,  75 

xamachy  a  platter,  58 
xaman,  north,  34 
xaman  ek,  the  north  star,  34 
xanab  xux,  a  bee,  60 
xel,  a  comb,  etc.,  86 
xicin,  an  ear;  a  shell,  85 
~xik,  wing  of  a  bird,  84 


xikal,  a  queen,  84 

xiixy  bran,  husks  of  grain,  97 

xocy  to  sing,  to  chant,  42 

xocy  the  breech  clout,  91 

xul,  a  planting  stick,  105 ;  to  end  ;  a  month 

name,  117 
xttlaby  an  ant,  36 
xulub,  horns,  118 
xux,  a  wasp,  60 
xux  ek,  Venus,  60 

yax,   green  ;  blue  ;     fresh  ;  strong  ;  virile  ; 

early,  95  ;  a  month  name,  119 
yax  che,  green  tree,  45,  48 
yax  kin,  a  month  name,  1 18,  129 
yax  kukul,  a  feather  ornament,  95 
ye,  to  appear,  to  show  oneself,  43 
yetal,  and,  100 
yum,  father,  ruler,  41 

zac,  white,  east,  v.  pp.  109,   no;   a  month 

name,  119 
zacal,  to  weave,  109 
zacan,  bread,  109 
zac  ik,  east  wind,  41 
zac  nohol  ik,  southeast  wind,  41 
zac  xaman-  ik,  northeast  wind,  41 
zac  zini,  white  being,  41 
zaztal  ek,  Venus,  34 
zee,  a  month  name,  117 
zin,  to  stretch  out,  75 
zinaan,  a  scorpion,  75 
zinaan  ek,  a  constellation,  75 
zinil,  the  earth,  75 
zip,  a  month  name,  117 
zipik  kin,  the  sunset,  117 
zodz,  a  bat ;  a  month  name,  117 
zuhny,  a  virgin,  42 


II.  INDEX  OF  AUTHORS. 


Aguilar,  26,  45 

Allen,  H.,  86,  95,  103,  119,  etc. 

Baeza,  P.,  93 
Becker,  H.  F.,  137 
Beltran  de  Santa  Rosa,  44 
Berendt,  C.  H.,  48,  74,  93,  no,  138 
Boas,  F.,  62 
Boban,  E.,  104 

Brasseur,  Abbe,  13,  14,  15,  23,  51,  83,  86, 
90,  JI2,  etc. 

Carrillo,  C.,  62 

Charency,  H.  de,  12 

Charnay,  D.,  II,  143 

Chavero,  A.,  54,  79,  97,  109 

Chilan  Balam,  Books  of,  46,  47,  109 

Clarke,  W.  P.,  83 

Cresson,  II.  T.,  13,  15 

Cogolludo,  P.,  39,  47,  51 

Culin,  S.,  24 

Gushing,  F.  H.,  48 

Dieseldorff,  E.  P.,  104 
Dupaix,  C.,  95 
Duran,  D.,  66,  92 

Fewkes,  J.  W.,  41,  55,  57,70 
Forstemann,  E.  W.,  12,  13,  18,  29,  33,  74, 
etc. 

Hernandez,  P.  R.,37 
Herrera,  A.,  39 
Holden,  E.  S.,  u,  13 

Kingsborough,  Lord,  12,  95 


Landa,  D.  de,  14,  26,  35,  39,  43,  54,  68, 

104,  116 
Lara,  D.,  60,  93 
Las  Casas,  B.,  37 
Leon,  M.,  26 
Lizana,  P.,  37 

Mallery,  G.,  83,  99 

Maudslay,  A.  P.,  n,  12,  21,  23,  102,  136 

Motul,  Dice.,  37 

Nunez,  de  la  Vega,  25,  39,  62,  67,  68,  1 13 
Nuttall,  Z.,  26,  32,  105 

Orantes,  S.,  138 

Parry,  F.,  50 

Peet,  S.  D.,  101 

Penafiel,  A.,  97 

Perrin,  P.,  12 

Pineda,  E.,  113 

Pineda,  V.,  19 

Pio  Perez,  41,  119 

Plongeon,  Dr.  Le,  11,  15,  95 

Popol  Vuh,  48,  50,  6 1 

Pousse,  A.,  12,  21,  31,  79,  80,  101 

Putnam,  F.  W.,  II 

Rada  y  Delgado,  J.  D.,  14 
Rau,  C,  13 

Rochefoucauld,  F.  A.,  16 
Rosny,  L.  de,  12,  14,  85,  115,  137 

Saville,  M.  H.,  92 

Schellhas,  P.,   12,  43,  50,  51,  62,  71,  81, 
121,  136,  etc. 

H7 


148 


II.    INDEX    OF   AUTHORS. 


Schrader,  Dr.,  26 

Schultz-Sellack,  Dr.,  41 

Seler,  E.,  10,  25,  32,  43,  44,  45,  71,  83, 

86,  124,  etc. 
Squier,  E.  G.,  141 
Stephens,  J.  L.,  II 
Stone,  \V.,  72 


Thomas,  C,  13,  16,  24,  29,  32,  34,  50,  51, 

76,  86,  128,  etc. 
Thompson,  E.  C.,  136 

Valentini,  F.,  86 
Waldeck,  F.,  54 
Ximenes,  F.,  50,  96 


III.  GENERAL  INDEX. 


Acan,  42 
Acat,  43 
Ah  chuy  kak,  44 

cun  can,  44 

dziz,  42 

kak  nech,  42 

kin  xoc,  42 

ppua,  42 

puch,  44,  64 
Ahulane,  44 
Ah  zakik  ual,  42 
Alphabets,  of  Landa,  14  ;  of  other 

Anum,  the  first  man,  46 
Armadillo,  the,  72 
Aspersorium,  the,  105,  123 
Atlatl,  the,  105 

Bacabs,  the,  40 
Baptism,  native,  76 
Baton  of  office,  52,  128,  130 
Bean  symbol,  89,  121,  122 

sign,  89 

Beards,  on  images,  39,  57 
Bee  god,  the,  59-61,  98 
Bells,  as  ornaments,  64,  83 
Ben,  or  Been,  myths  of,  113 
Ben-ik  sign,  91, 123 
Birds,  figures  of,  72 
Bissextile  years,  26 
Black  gods,  66,  124 

Calendar  signs,  22 

systems,  26-29 
Canopies,  96 


writers, 


Canzicnal,  41 

Cardinal  points,  the,  40,  41,  108 

Centeotl,  62 

Ceremonial  circuit,  the,  41 

Chac  mool,  95 

Chacs,  the,  40 

Chamay  bac,  44 

Chiapas,  37,  138 

Chichen  Itza,  38 

Chilan  Balam,  Books  of,  14,  19 

Cit  bolon  tun,  42 

Cloud  balls,  98 

Codices,  the,  n;  as  time-counts,  18 

Colors,  symbolism  of,  40,  41 

signs  for,  109 
Comb  sign,  86 
Comets,  35 
Conjurers,  68 

Constellation  band,  the,  106 
Copan,  inscriptions,  21,  107,  136 
Corkscrew  curl,  98 
Cosmic  sign,  the,  24,  50 
Cosmogony  of  Mayas,  46 
Cross  hatching,  24,  96 
Cross,  Tablet  of,  62,  137 
Crotalean  curve,  102 
Cuculcan,  38,  49,  55-57,  61 
Cum  ahau,  41 

Days,  hieroglyphs  of,   159 
Death,  god  of,  44,  64,  1 21 

signs  for,  84,  97 
Deers,  72,  119 
Directive  signs,  88,  108 


I49 


150 


III.    GENERAL    INDEX. 


Dogs,  figures  of,  71,  129 

signs  for,  89,95,  II2»  I25 
as  food  animals,  90 

Dots,  their  meanings,  97 

Drum  signs,  91.    See/^jr 

Dwarfs,  43 

Ear  rings,  85 

Earih-goddess,  the,  61,  64,  91,  95,  100 

Eclipses,  36 

Ek  ahau,  66,  67 

chua,  42,  66,  67 
Epochs  of  the  Universe,  46 
Evening  Star,  the,  61,  64 
Evil,  gods  of,  43 
Eye,  signs  for,  83-85 

Falcon,  the  crested,  74 
Fans,  104,  105 
Feather  balls,  95 

signs,  84,  94 
Female  divinities,  40-44 
Fish,  90 

"  Fish  and  oyster  "  sign,  89 
Flatheacls,  62 
Flint-knife,  the,  88,  109 
Folk-lore  of  Yucatan,  43 
Food  offerings,  the,  90 

sign  for,  86 
Frog,  the,  75 

Gemini,  35 
Ghanan,  62,  123 
Gukumatz,  38,  61 

Hand,  the,  as  deity,  38 

the  closing,  102 

signs  for,  82 
Hex  chun  chan,  44 
Hohnil,  40 
Holy  water,  104 
House,  signs  for,  88 
Hozan  ek,  41 
Huastecas,  10 


Hunab  ku,  37 
Hun  ahau,  44 
pic  tok,  44 

leal  ahau,  67,  124 

Iguana,  the,  90,  122 

Ikonomatic  writing,  13,  82,  97 

"  Initial  series  "  of  glyphs,  24,  92,  93,  136 

Itzamna,  37,  51-55,  101,  122,  124 

Ix  chebel  yax,  42 

chel,  40,  64 

hun  ye,  43 

hun  yeta,  43 

kan  leom,  40 

nuc,  43 

tabai,  42 

tub  tun,  42 

Jade,  jewels  of,  88 
Jaguar,  the,  72,  126 
Jupiter,  planet,  106 

Kabah,  inscription  of,  52,  135 
Kabil,  38,  51 
Kak  u  pacat,  44 

"  Keys"  to  the  hieroglyphs,  16,  17 
Kinich,  39,  57,  123,  124 
ahau  Itzamna,  40 
Kin  sign,  the,  88 
Knife  signs,  88,  109 
Knives,  sacrificial,  89 
Knots,  100 

Labna,  136 
Lakin  chan,  38,  51 
Life,  symbol  of,  49,  115 

tree  of,  49,  53,  59,  62,  lor,  128 
Lightning,  symbols,  71,  74,  89,  104 
Lorillard  City,  29 
Lunar  years,  26 

Macaw,  the,  73 
Machete,  the,  102 
Maize  god,  the,  62,  123 


III.    GENERAL    INDEX. 


Mam,  the  god,  128 
Man,  the  first,  46 

signs  for,  86,  97 
Mars,  planet,  106 
Masks,  use  of,  54,  55 
Mayan,  meaning  of,  10 
Medicine  drum,  93 

rattle,  104 

bag,  128 
Menche,  29 
Mercury,  planet,  106 
Metals,  use  of,  104 
Mexican  writing,  10,  79 
Mimosa,  the,  105 
Mirrors,  104,  105 
Mitna,  44 
Mixcoatl,  39 
Milky  Way,  the,  35 
Moan  bird,  the  74,  125 
Money,  the  native,  no 
Monkey,  the,  72 
Monograms  of  gods,  121 
Months,  signs  for,  88 
Moon,  words  for,  36 
signs  for,  87 

Mother  Earth,  sign  for,  91/95,  loo 
Mugeres,  Isla  de,  42 

Nagualism,  98 
Necklace,  sign  for,  86 
North  Star,  the,  34,  57-59 
Numbers,  sacred  and  symbolic,  24,  25 

Ococingo,  139 
Orion,  35 
Owl,  the,  73 

Pakoc,  44 

Palaeography,  Mayan,  127 

Palenque  inscriptions,  13,   16,  21,  54,  62, 

95»!36>  137 
Pelican,  the,  74 
Phallic  emblems,  24,  90,  95 
Picture  writing,  98 


Pleiades,  the,  35,  63 
Pole  star,  the,  57-59 
Pottery  decoration,  58,  122 
Ppiz  lim  tec,  42 
Priesthood,  the,  68 
Pucugh,  44 

Quetzal  bird,  73 
Quetzalcoatl,  39 
Quiches,  44,  140 
Quiiigua,  21 

Rainbow  goddess,  40 
Rain  signs,  91-94 

symbols,  72,  74,  75 
Rattlesnake,  the,  75 
Rays,  signs  for,  98 
Rebus  writing,  13 
Rhetorical  use  of  numbers,  24 
Rubrication  of  codices,  79 

Sacred  numbers,  25 

Sastanquiqui,  ruins  of,  106 

Saturn,  planet,  106 

Scorpion  symbol,  67,  75,  117 

Serpent  eye,  the,  84 

goddess,  the,  63,  124 
gods,  38,  124,  128 
the  feathered,  38,  56,  57 
wand,  103 

Shells,  symbol  i*m  of,  19,  90 

Shield,  the  heavenly,  107 
star,  the,  58 

Shields,  designs  on,  95 

Shooting  stars,  35 

Smoke,  sign  for,  97 

Sols:ice,  symbol  of,  74 

Souls,  fate  of,  44 

"  Spectacles  "  sign,  85 

Speech,  sign  for,  97,  98 

Spider-web  goddess,  40 

Sun  god,  the,  39,  57,  123 
signs,  87 


152 


III.    GENERAL    INDEX. 


Tableau  des  Bacabs,  48,  64 

Tancucula,  44 

Tapir,  the,  54,  138 

Tel  cuzaan,  42 

Terrestrial  Paradise,  46 

Textile  signs,  96 

Thirteen,  as  symbolic,  25 

Thunder,  personified,  63 

Tikal,  29 

Time,  symbols  of,  76,  127,  128 

Tlaloc,5i,  55 

Tomahawk,  the,  104 

Tonalamat!,  the,  27,  29,  31 

Tongue,  piercing,  76 

Tonina,  139 

Tree  of  life,  48,  53,  59,  62,  101,  128 

"  Trinal  "  emblem,  95,  136 

Turkey,  the,  74,  90 

Turtle,  the,  74,  119,  126 

Tzental  dialect,  19,  35,  113 

Tzentals,  37,  38,  113 

Uac  lorn  chaam,  43 
Underworld,  the,  44 
Union,  signs  for,  100 

Venus,  the  planet,  33,  34,  106 

sign  for,  88,  106 
Vigesimal  system,  18 
Vultures,  73,  125 


War,  gods  of,  44,  65,  123 
Water  deities,  40,  41 
Wind  cross,  the,  115,  116 
World-sign,  the,  129 
Writing,  direction  of,  79 

Xabalba,  44 

Xaman  ek,  the  North  Star,  57 

Xibilba,  44 

Xipe,  66 

Xiuhmolpilli,  the,  31 

Xnuc,  see  Ix  nuc 

Xmucane,  49,  50,  61,  63,  112,  125 

Xoc  bitum,  42 

Xpiyacoc,  61 

Xux  Ek,  Venus,  60 

Yax  coc  ahmut,  38 
Yellow,  sign  for,  88 
Yucatan,  9,  37,  42,  etc. 
Yum  chac,  41 

cimil,  44 

kaax,  41 

Zac  chamaybac,  44 
Zac  zini,  41 
Zotzils,  12,  138 
Zuhuy  dzip,  42 
Zuhuy  kak,  42 


X  */  -^ 


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